Sheikha Nawal Al-Sabah: The Arab woman will continue her efforts to achieve societal progress and fully enhance her rights!
Women in many countries face challenges in their development path towards obtaining their rights. Some of these challenges are linked to the economic crises that have been affecting the world for years, while others are tied to customs, traditions, and norms that may restrict women’s freedom. However, these challenges have not weakened the resolve of Arab women, who continue to fight for their rights.
Sheikha Nawal Al-Sabah, President of the Arab Union for Combating Forgery, Counterfeiting, and Money Laundering and President of the Arab Women Leaders Union, Kuwait Branch, believes that “the continuous struggle of women to obtain their full rights must yield results without hesitation or concession.”
Sheikha Nawal Al-Sabah is the guest of honor at the conference “Contemporary Women’s Issues in the Writings of Reformers – Challenges and Solutions,” organized by the Union of Afro-Asian Universities from November 25-26 in Istanbul, Turkey. The conference’s media committee discussed the reality of women, the challenges they face, and the efforts to overcome these challenges to fully obtain their rights.
Sheikha Nawal states that Arab women face major challenges in their pursuit of civil and political rights. She believes that “women will continue to highlight their active role in society to achieve leadership and participation in both family and societal development, which benefits all aspects of life and contributes to prosperity, progress, and stability.”
She adds, “There is no doubt that economic and social rights are fundamental to human rights, as they ensure the ability to live securely while meeting basic needs, which presents a significant challenge for many Arab countries.”
The Arab Woman’s Share of These Challenges
Sheikha Nawal Al-Sabah explains that economic crises impact both men and women, placing a burden particularly on poor and migrant women. She continues, “Arab economies are open to the global economy through their dependence on exports and imports. Therefore, global economic crises inevitably affect our Arab societies.”
However, according to Sheikha Nawal, the situation is not entirely bleak. The Arab woman has achieved many gains in various fields and leadership positions, and many Arab countries have enacted laws to protect and promote women’s rights. She notes, “Today, there is increasing awareness of the importance of empowering women and closing the gap between men and women in the workforce to achieve positive and constructive cooperation between men, women, and all segments of society.”
Sheikha Nawal considers women’s entrepreneurship to be a crucial strategy for advancing economic empowerment, especially given the many challenges faced by both men and women today. She believes that women are no longer just demanding the right to live but have evolved their demands to include participation in law-making and crucial decisions, which requires political empowerment.
She adds, “There is no doubt that Arab women have made significant progress in recent years in terms of political rights, participating in elections, running for local councils, and increasingly holding top positions in executive authorities across most Arab governments.”
In Kuwait, Sheikha Nawal is proud of the political and economic freedom enjoyed by Kuwaiti women, which has given them confidence and led to remarkable achievements in various fields alongside men. She says, “Kuwaiti women have proven their presence at all levels, holding leadership positions from ministers to undersecretaries, university presidents, and ambassadors abroad.”
“If women are half of society, they are the makers of all its members.”
The Role of Technology
Sheikha Nawal believes that technology can play an important role in the economic activities of Arab women. As the sector grows, so does the potential for women to gain economic power. She adds, “The increase in employment of Arab women in technology depends on its ability to attract female talent. Any development that positively impacts women’s status is undoubtedly an achievement.”
She highlights the contribution of many organizations dedicated to women’s issues in improving conditions, including those of refugees, by shifting from merely providing emergency aid to offering developmental assistance if the refugee situation persists.
Conferences, seminars, and publications play a vital role in bringing women’s issues to the forefront and addressing them, as women are a fundamental pillar of Arab society. Sheikha Nawal expressed her support for the conference on contemporary women’s issues and all scientific activities of the Union of Afro-Asian Universities, stating, “I support and encourage every conference that seeks to strengthen women’s roles, create an organizational and legal environment that supports women, and enhance their presence at all levels.”
She hopes that the conference will produce an Arab action plan for exchanging experiences and expertise on economic and political empowerment programs for women, and for enhancing women’s capabilities in technological fields as the language of the era.
Sheikha Nawal also praised the efforts of the Union of Afro-Asian Universities for its support of education in Africa and Asia and for assisting women’s education and addressing specialized studies on women and societal issues in these continents. She said, “We need such organizations concerned with education and cultural rapprochement in a climate of peace and love. What I most admire about the goals and mission of the Union of Afro-Asian Universities is its approach to scientific rapprochement to achieve scientific and knowledge unity among Afro-Asian countries, serving students and societies, away from political, partisan, or sectarian frameworks, and adhering strictly to the scientific framework.”
