UAE Women’s Dialogue Highlights Empowerment at Expo 2025

Post by : Layla Badr

Photo: Dubai Government Media Office

As part of its efforts to show the world how the UAE supports women, the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) held an important event called the “UAE Women’s Dialogue” at the UAE National Pavilion during Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. This event was held under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the President of the Dubai Women Establishment and the wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, and Chairman of the Presidential Court.

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The dialogue began with a welcome speech by Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, the Chairperson and Managing Director of DWE. After that, a special keynote speech was given by Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna bint Khalid Al Qasimi, who was the first woman to become a minister in the UAE government. Several other important women leaders also took part in the session, including Her Excellency Hala Badri, the Director General of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Her Excellency Huda Al Hashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs; and Khawla Al Mehairi, Executive Vice President at the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. The session was led by Maryam Altayer from the Dubai Future Foundation. Other respected figures were also present, such as Khadija Al Bastaki from TECOM Group, Fahima Al Bastaki, former CEO at the Dubai Financial Market, and Naeema Ahli, CEO of DWE.

The event focused on four important topics that are key to women’s progress in the UAE: gender balance, cultural identity, leadership and policies, and sustainability and the green economy. Her Highness Sheikha Manal said that DWE’s participation in Expo 2025 Osaka is part of their strong promise to help Emirati women shine on the world stage. She said this success is possible because of the vision of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the continued support of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, who is known as the “Mother of the Nation.” Sheikha Manal thanked the UAE’s President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, for their constant support for women’s empowerment. She said the UAE is now seeing real results from the leadership’s wise planning and goals. The country is ranked among the best in the world in terms of gender equality and support for women.

She said that DWE will continue to help Emirati women grow in their careers and become leaders in both government and business. Over the last 20 years, DWE has started many programs to help women manage both family life and work life, and to improve their overall quality of life. She also thanked the UAE Pavilion team at Expo 2025 for their help in organizing the dialogue and said this event shows how different parts of the government work together to celebrate the country’s progress, especially the achievements of women. Sheikha Manal praised Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi for being a true example of Emirati leadership, as she has served in four ministerial positions and helped shape how the world sees the UAE. She also thanked the other speakers and DWE’s team for making the event successful and high-quality.

Mona Al Marri said she was proud to see Emirati women speaking at such a big global event. She said it was a great chance to share stories, ideas, and experiences with people from other countries. She thanked Sheikha Fatima for always supporting Emirati women and said that the UAE’s journey in empowering women is a model for other countries. She said it was great to build on what was started at Expo 2020 Dubai, where for the first time a Women’s Pavilion was included, highlighting the important role of women in shaping the future. Mona Al Marri also thanked Sheikha Lubna for her inspiring role and the other speakers for their strong contributions. She said that under Sheikha Manal’s leadership, DWE will keep working to build strong partnerships with the world to raise the profile of Emirati women. She ended by saying that this event celebrates how far Emirati women have come, and that their journey will continue with excellence, quoting Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid who said, “In the race for excellence, there is no finish line.”

In her speech, Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi praised DWE for organizing the event at Expo 2025, calling it a powerful space where ideas and hopes come together to build a better future. She thanked the UAE Pavilion team for adding the dialogue to their program, saying that it helped to show the world how Emirati women are playing a major role in the country’s growth. She remembered how she became the UAE’s first female minister in 2004, saying that it was a big moment not just for her, but for all Emirati women. Since the UAE was founded in 1971, women have always been supported. Now, women make up nearly one-third of the UAE Cabinet, 50% of the Federal National Council, and 42% of the country’s diplomats. She said these are some of the highest numbers in the world and show that the UAE is leading, not just catching up. She said women in the UAE are helping change not only the government but also the business world. In 2023, Emirati women were the largest national group on Forbes’ list of the 100 Most Powerful Arab Businesswomen, and in 2024, 14 Emirati women were on the list. This shows that the UAE values education, training, and equal chances for everyone. She ended her speech by saying the topics discussed in the dialogue—gender balance, cultural identity, good leadership, and sustainability—are key parts of the UAE’s future and areas where women are making a lasting difference.

Hala Badri talked about how the UAE leadership has clearly shown support for women in culture, business, and society. She said that women’s empowerment is no longer just an idea—it’s something real, backed by actual rules and plans. Huda Al Hashimi agreed, saying that the UAE’s progress in supporting women can be clearly seen now. She said the dialogue in Osaka showed how everyone is working together for a future that is fair and balanced for all. Khawla Al Mehairi from DEWA shared how the UAE is putting both sustainability and women’s empowerment at the center of its future plans. She said that DEWA has created programs that help women take the lead in clean energy and innovation. She said the UAE continues to be a global model thanks to its strong leadership and smart policies.

Mariam Al Memari, who is the Deputy Commissioner General of the UAE Pavilion and the head of the UAE Expo Office, said that she was proud to host the UAE Women’s Dialogue. She said the Pavilion is a place where stories and values come together, and this event showed the strong leadership and achievements of Emirati women. She said the ideas shared during the dialogue are helping to build a more fair and sustainable future and that they match perfectly with the UAE’s national goals and the theme of Expo 2025 Osaka.