(WAM) — A conference under the theme “The Role of Women in Fostering Values of Coexistence” that will highlight past and future contributions of women will be launched virtually on Wednesday.

Organised by the Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence, the conference will be held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, GWU, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, FDF, and also known as the Mother of the Nation, to mark the Emirati Women’s Day, which is observed annually on 28th August.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, will launch the event under the slogan, “An Outlook of Women’s Contributions into the Next Fifty Years.”

A diverse audience and a wide array of Arab and international speakers are expected to take part. The conference aims to emphasise the role of women in society and support their role as ambassadors for tolerance and coexistence, both at present and in the future.

The first of three segmented sessions, titled “Women and the Values of Coexistence and Tolerance in the Future”, will feature as speakers Sheikh Nahyan; Princess Lamia bin Majid Al Saud, Secretary-General of Alwaleed Philanthropies; Irina Bokova, Former Director-General of UNESCO and President of the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy in Germany; María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, Former President of the United Nations General Assembly, and Baroness Floella Benjamin, DBE DL, OBE from the United Kingdom.

At the second session, titled “Emirati Women – Fifty Years of Excellence and Continuous Achievements”, prominent Emirati women in leadership positions will contribute as speakers and share their successes and inspiring examples in Emirati women’s empowerment. The speakers are Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; Noura Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the General Women’s Union, and Dr. Mai Al Jaber, Medical Director at Health Point Hospital and Board Member at Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Sports Academy.

The third and final session, titled “Programmes and Initiatives Empowering Women in Shaping the Future”, will feature prominent speakers such as Sarah bint Yousif Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Sciences; Mona Al Marri, Director-General, Government of Dubai Media Office and Vice President, UAE Gender Balance Council; Jacqueline O’Neill, Ambassador for Women; Peace and Security in Canada, and Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Member of Parliament at the Mexican Congress.

Sheikh Nahyan said the conference bears testament of the importance placed by all members of society on empowering women and recognising their strategic role in the community across the board, including the family, society or at the workplace.

The conference will also highlight the achievements made by hundreds of women which contributed to the development of the nation in all fields.