Dr. Rawdha Abdullah Al-Muttawaa
Chairperson of  Executive Board Member of Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council

Woman in the UAE has indeed played a significant role that was supported and assisted by the Late His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, (May God Almighty Rest His Soul in peace), and with the supreme directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Al-Nahyan, Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union. Such a significant role was, over the past few years, clearly apparent in respect of enhancing the national economic activities and participation in many legitimate trade and economic spheres. Yet, such a role was not completely up to our ambitions and not tangible enough to meet our requirements. This may be attributed to the fact that most of our national businesswomen have failed to get a lending hand that might activate their role and help them to play a really tangible role in fostering our national economy in general.

Actually, the UAE women's economic activity was crowned with the birth of the Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council in March 2002. Once being incepted, the Council immediately took part in carrying out a national woman's development strategy aiming at getting her more involved in the total national economic performance.

Thanks to the unlimited support by the President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (May God Almighty Bless him) and Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Honorary President of Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council and Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union, the Council, ever since its inception in 2002, took upon itself the task and responsibility of caring for all Abu Dhabi businesswomen through re-activating their role in the overall economic development process, and through dealing boldly with the problems and obstacles impeding their march and performance. It also encouraged those who are interested in being seriously involved in private businesses or in the services sector.

Despite the fact that it is only two years old, the Council could realize a package of achievements, and execute a group of significant programs. It further succeeded in setting a work plan that meets the national businesswomen's ambitions and encourages them to shoulder their way in the field of free lancing and private businesses. The council, on another scale, is offering whatever assistance is possible in order to enable them to establish beneficial contacts and communication with foreign counterparts from different parts of the world where businesswomen had already taken wide leaping strides and acquired vast and successful experiences.

The initiation of the Council has, indeed come to reflect the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry awareness to enhance and deepen the roots of the national women's role in different economic and services fields in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. Now, the number of businesswomen in the Emirate has gone beyond 3000, a fact that may explain or interpret the sincere efforts they exerted to enhance their role in the national economic life and performance involving all economic, business and services sectors.

The Abu Dhabi Businesswomen Council is saving no effort to avail appropriate training opportunities that may help to rehabilitate our national women and expand the range of their participation in several professional and business activities. No doubt, that this will remarkably and effectively help the Emiratization of employment and the different economic sectors, a matter which is viewed as a very significant national quest.

Among the most important and successful activities the council exercised over the past two years, was the National Businesswomen Campaign which involved several different functions such as pertinent seminars, lectures, workshops and exhibitions. All these functions were proved successful enough to improve the potentials and skills of national businesswomen and to project their national products at the same time.