Womanity Foundation Gathers GCC Women Achievers in Dubai to Examine Media's Role in Women's Social Advancement

Hosts Ladies’ Luncheon in Co-Operation with Dubai Business Women Council

Dubai-UAE: 26 February 2014 - The Swiss-based Womanity Foundation (www.womanity.org), an independent private organization established in 2005 to empower women to shape their future and accelerate progress within their communities, today hosted a ladies’ luncheon that launched a debate around supporting women’s advancement and highlighted the role that media can play in promoting this mandate.

Organised in conjunction with Dubai Business Women Council, the event was held at The Address - Dubai Marina.

The discussion, themed ‘Worth 100 Men: Identifying the Role of Media in Women’s Empowerment’, drew the perspectives of prominent women from the UAE’s business world and media landscape. The participants included Khuloud Hasan Al Nuwais, Chief Sustainability Officer, Emirates Foundation; Nada Askar, Manager of Women Sports Department, Sharjah Ladies Club; Taghrid Alsaeed, Head of Digital Communications Group Communications, Mubadla; Salma Sakhnini, Entrepreneur and Managing Director; Cyba Audi, Principal, Saba Consultants; Linda Merieau, Founder, ABP Consulting Services; Mona Tavasooli, Founder, Mom Souq & Mompreneur Middle East, and Zareen, Founder, Woman2Woman Business Council. Nivine Afiouni, Editor, Skynewsarabia, moderated the event.

The event was attended by Yann Borgstedt, Founder and President of the Womanity Foundation; Maysoun Odeh Gangat, Managing Director of NISAA FM; Nadine Halabi, Coordinator, Dubai Business Women Council, and Badr Jafar, Managing Director, Crescent Group.

The panelists called upon women to achieve their personal and professional commitments through leveraging the strong female support networks worldwide, including in the Middle East, and the opportunities to communicate and connect via the media. Education and skills up-grading were identified as two key engines that drive women to the helm of success. The media was acknowledged as a key vector for the exchange of important information, giving women a voice and inspiring women to be more active in society.

Yann Borgstedt said: “We are delighted to have ventured into the UAE and deeply grateful to the exceptional women who have joined today’s conversation for their constructive creativity and their spirit of collaboration. At the Womanity Foundation, we are always looking for innovative and effective ways to strengthen the role of women in their societies, for the benefit of the community at large. We have successfully pioneered media projects as part of this priority and are keen to share our experience with others, so as to multiply the impact of the models we have developed.”

The event’s theme was inspired by NISAA FM, the first commercial women’s radio station and website in the Middle East, which was established by the Womanity Foundation in partnership with Radio NISAA Broadcasting Company in late 2009. The luncheon initiative also built upon the recent show produced by Womanity and NISAA titled ‘Worth 100 Men’ (“Be 100 Ragl” in Arabic) that highlights the role of women in society through narrating the story of Noha, a young Arab radio journalist. Dissatisfied by her position and driven by professional ethics, Noha opens new perspectives on a wide range of social issues and, centrally, on women’s role in society, women’s social and economic empowerment, their participation in public life, domestic violence and sexual harassment, and family relationships and romance. The radio series, which stars Mona Zaki in the main role and Nancy Ajram for the theme track, is scheduled to run in 2014 on FM stations throughout the Middle East and North Africa, including in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Maysoun Odeh Gangat said: “The story of Noha is a reflection of women’s need for recognition the world over. Even today, it is a practice in many industries that women are paid lower wages than men, while senior positions continue to remain the mainstay of men. It is also not unheard of that women have a sore deal in personal relations. The radio show seeks to inspire women to stand up for themselves, and to motivate men to encourage them on their journey. The event, which is an extension of our efforts, has proven that women from wherever they are have the power and will to change their destiny.”

Nadine Halabi, Coordinator, DBWC, said: “Since 2002, the DBWC has been enhancing positive change in the community, encouraging the acceptance, awareness of, and potential to achieve for businesswomen. We applaud organizations, and individuals that proactively stand together to empower women. Therefore, we are proud to associate with the Womanity Foundation to further our mutual goals of motivating women to become productive members of our society and economy and unleash the unlimited potential to be found amongst the women living in the UAE.

“We thank the media for their continued support in raising awareness about the topic of women empowerment and we will continue to implement innovative initiatives, like Ro’Ya, to provide women with a platform for their inspiring, intellectual and noteworthy voices to be heard.”