UAE Harvest 2025/ Emirati women are making a historic presence in economics, science and international leadership

Abu Dhabi, December 16 / WAM / During the year 2025, the UAE will continue its approach to supporting women and their sustainable empowerment, through a package of national initiatives, government policies and international achievements that have consolidated the position of Emirati women in the decision-making process and the path of sustainable development.

The UAE launched the “Mother of the Emirates 50:50” vision as a road map extending to the year 2075, based on enhancing the quality of women’s lives, empowering them in the sectors of the future, supporting their presence in leadership positions and formulating the global agenda for women.

The Council of Ministers approved the reorganization of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, with the aim of developing legislative frameworks and national policies that support gender balance.

The decision came in light of the country’s global achievements, as the UAE ranked 13th globally and first regionally in the 2025 Gender Equality Index issued by the United Nations Development Programme.

For its part, the General Women’s Union launched the “We Plant for Sustainability” project, which aims to train 3,500 women over five years and support 140 women’s agricultural projects, in order to enhance food security and graduate female entrepreneurs in sustainable agriculture. The Union also launched councils for Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries to enhance women’s presence in the global economy, and the first of these councils was launched in China through a two-week training program in four major Chinese cities.

In an unprecedented initiative globally, the General Women’s Union announced the launch of the first official job for productive families in the world, with a monthly salary, job benefits, and social insurance, in a step that is considered a new global model in the economic and social empowerment of women.

This year, a group of qualitative initiatives emerged that aim to empower women in the technical and economic fields in particular, such as the National Program for Artificial Intelligence, which enhanced women’s participation in data analysis and advanced technologies, and the National Program for Programmers, which aims to qualify 100,000 programmers, including a large percentage of women. The AI-Forward initiative also contributed to training more than 100 women in artificial intelligence skills, while the “Sayidaty” artificial intelligence program enabled about 500 women to acquire cloud computing skills.

The Investment Readiness Acceleration Program for Women Entrepreneurs contributed to supporting women’s technical projects and attracting investments, while the “Atlaq” Program provided qualitative training that contributed to the graduation of 415 national cadres in digital commerce and logistics services.

A Heriot-Watt University report last April confirmed that the UAE recorded the highest percentage of female representation on the boards of directors of public companies in the Gulf during the year 2025, at 14.8%, an increase of 37% over last year.

Women constitute 50% of the members of the Federal National Council, 70% of university graduates, and 56% of STEM graduates. Women also constitute more than 50% of the workforce in the space sector, and 80% of the scientific team for the Hope Probe. At the Emirates Space Agency, women represent 48% of the employees, while the percentage of female students at the Mohammed bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence reached 31%.

Emirati women have strengthened their global presence during the year 2025. The World Economic Forum announced the selection of Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Community Empowerment, Her Excellency Mira Sultan Al Suwaidi, Member of the Federal National Council, and Taqa Waddah Al Hinai, Assistant Professor of Information Technology at New York University Abu Dhabi, for membership in the Young Global Leaders Council 2025.

In the same context, Her Excellency Sheikha Nasser Al Nowais won the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations Tourism Organization for the period 2026-2029, making her the first woman in the world to hold this position since the founding of the organization 50 years ago. Dr. Nadia Rashid Al Mazrouei also won the position of Vice President of the Supreme Council of the International Pharmaceutical Federation, and Her Excellency Afra Al Sabri was elected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the World Religious Leaders Conference.

Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak was re-elected as President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for a second term, in confirmation of her international standing and the UAE’s leadership in global environmental action. Her Excellency Mira Sultan Al Suwaidi was also elected as President of the Sustainable Development Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

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