The skills, resources, and opportunities provided by UAE-based NAMA Women Advancement and UN Women have empowered more than 340,000 women around the world to participate equally in markets and support economic growth overall. This was revealed at a panel discussion held at the Women’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, which spotlighted the transformative potential of gender-responsive procurement and its role as a strategic lever in enabling women entrepreneurs to build a better world.
At the session hosted jointly by NAMA and UN Women as part of the Global Goals Week at Expo 2020 Dubai, discussions centred on creating better outcomes for women and enhancing national economies by advancing reform and action through the prism of gender-sensitive policies.
The session titled, ‘Gender-responsive procurement as a transformative strategy to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals’, highlighted the successful practices in different parts of the world including South Africa and the UAE. Panelists discussed how gender-responsive procurement (GRP) is a critical conduit to deliver directly on most SDGs, specifically goals 5, 8 and 12.
Prominent dignitaries at the event included H. E. Faisal Al Hammadi, Assistant Undersecretary for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, UAE Ministry of Economy; Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director, UN Women – UAE Liaison Office for the GCC; Raghad Aljughaiman, Project Expert – Office of Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs at Ministry of Economy, UAE; Mhairi Main Garcia, Head of Middle East Energy, Transport and Infrastructure Group, Dentons; John Balouziyeh, Senior Legal Consultant, Dentons; and Nihal Hashish, Senior Purchasing Manager, P&G.
In a statement issued following the event, H.E. Reem BinKaram, Director, NAMA, reaffirmed NAMA’s firm commitment to building an ecosystem for women’s economic empowerment. The NAMA Director called on public and private sector stakeholders to apply actionable solutions unveiled at the session to make informed procurement decisions to promote inclusive supply chains and contribute to the SDGs.
The Director of NAMA said: “For many women, entrepreneurship offers a path to economic empowerment. We need firm commitments from all stakeholders to build partnerships, make our ambitions a reality and further enable women entrepreneurs.”
“Procurement connects us all, so our relationships matter,” said Dr. Mouza Al Shehhi, Director of UN Women-UAE Liaison Office for the GCC, in her welcome address. She detailed how the partnership with NAMA to support women-owned business inclusion in supply chains has benefited more than 2,500 women entrepreneurs in the UAE through structured training and mentoring sessions that equipped them with the knowledge and tools to enhance their access to procurement opportunities.
