Before the Global Entrepreneurship and Investment Forum in Bahrain, an emphasis on the role of women in change and development

We caught up with Dr. Hashim Hussein after a busy week of the 21st UNIDO General Conference, which was held under the name “Global Industry Summit”, to talk to us about the future and preparations for the next global forum, which begins on 9 February 2026.

Dr. Hashem said “This year, the forum coincides with the annual conference of the International Women’s Entrepreneurship Challenge Foundation – a prestigious organization based in New York – that celebrates women entrepreneurs around the world whose investments impact their communities.”.

He added that the office nominated two female entrepreneurs at the beginning of cooperation with the Foundation in 2015, bringing the number of female entrepreneurs now nominated for the awards granted by that international foundation to 40 Arab female entrepreneurs.

Dr. Hashem said that entering this circle and honoring women entrepreneurs “It is also a mandate that they must continue to make that societal impact, and have a role as drivers of change in achieving it Sustainable development goalsAnd beyond that, too.”.

Enhancing the role of women in industry

Before the launch of the next forum, the head of the Investment and Technology Promotion Office of UNIDO in Bahrain confirmed that talk about the role of women was strongly present, especially on the day dedicated to empowering women at the World Industry Summit.

Dr. Hashem said: “I talked about what we have done to enhance the role of women in industry, especially in the Gulf countries, and how this role can be supported, and what are the most prominent needs, whether through research centers, partnerships between the public and private sectors, universities, financial institutions, science and technology cities, or industrial incubators.”.

Voices of the future

During his conversation with us, Dr. Hashem insisted that: “Voices of the future” They are the ones who give hope for a better tomorrow. From this standpoint, he stressed the need to listen to the voices of young people and… “Be the rudder that leads the change.”.

This was present in one of the discussion sessions moderated by Dr. Hashem during the UNIDO General Conference, in which he participated “Young people from Morocco, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and Nigeria”.

And he said: “These young people talked about their successes, as well as the challenges they faced on the way to achieving those successes.”.

The most prominent conclusion of the attendees was how to provide the appropriate environment at the national or regional level, whether in terms of education, services or development, to advance and support these young people. Dr. Hashem said at the conclusion of his speech: “The voices of the future are the goal, the hope, and the dream.”.