du Gender Balance Council hosts inaugural internal webinar to evaluate equality progress and discuss stereotypes in the UAE

The Gender Balance Council at du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), has concluded its first-ever internal webinar, where a range of topics were discussed concerning gender equality and achieving inclusion in the workplace. Held under the theme 'Defying gender stereotypes through working in gender dominated industries,' the agenda entailed insights from four guest speakers, followed by a Q&A session where the speakers shared their experiences and provided further inputs regarding equality.

H.E. Shamsa Saleh, Dubai Women Establishment CEO and UAE Gender Balance Council Secretary General, served as the first speaker of the webinar, elaborating on the UAE's progression in terms of achieving its gender balance goals, and the initiatives adopted to enhance gender equality and raise awareness about stereotypes at the federal level. H.E Samata Gifty Bukari, Consul General of Ghana, then followed, explaining the barriers to success that women must overcome in the field of diplomacy and the impact and influence of female diplomats.

The third speaker, Eng. Hiba Shabrouq, a Product Marketing expert and TechWomen fellow, gave her recommendations on how employees can contribute to economic growth from a company and country standpoint, in addition to how gender stereotypes can be removed to maximize the talent pool. Prior to the Q&A opportunity and webinar conclusion, Eng. Maryam Al Balooshi, Environmental Manager at the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority Environmental Manager, also delivered an inspirational talk. She explained her reasons for pursuing a career in a prominently male industry and how gender balance has evolved across the sector. Each guest made an invaluable contribution to the du Gender Balance Council webinar's success, offering unique knowledge and perspectives that will benefit du employees moving forward.

Hanan Ahmad, Acting Head of Corporate Affairs and Assurance at EITC and Chairwoman of du's Gender Balance, said: "At du, we are proud of our sustained efforts to promote equality. As a leading UAE company, it is our ambition to lead by example, our duty to support diversity in the workplace, and our goal to inspire enterprises across the country to implement similar proactive approaches that will benefit our local community. The webinar certainly represented the latest step towards this vision, emphasizing the importance of dispelling stereotypes and providing equal opportunities. Through our fundamental internal principles of greater inclusion and equal representation of both genders, we will continue to make tremendous progress in the direction of a fair environment for men and women."

Established in January 2019 as part of du's commitment towards driving the UAE leadership's vision for gender diversity in the workplace, the du Gender Balance Council promotes awareness, encourages discussions, drives sustainable practices, and continuously develops an environment that supports equality and empowers women throughout their professional progression. These efforts align with the National Agenda, which aims to establish the UAE among the top 25 countries for gender inclusion by 2021.

A video recap of the Gender Balance Council webinar at du can be downloaded here: https://we.tl/t-8RDh0UwJfs