From Education to Decision Making: Emirati Women’s Growing Role Highlighted in Ottawa

From education and employment to ministerial and leadership positions, an Emirati Women’s Day event in Ottawa highlighted the expanding role of women in development and decision making alongside the UAE’s transformation over the past five decades.

Ottawa – Tahani Elghazaly

An Emirati Women’s Day celebration in Ottawa on Monday, August 24, went beyond recognizing women’s achievements, opening a broader discussion about the evolving role of Emirati women in society and their growing presence in education, the workforce, leadership and decision making.

During the event, hosted by the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Canada at its premises in Ottawa, UAE Ambassador to Canada H.E. Abdulrahman Ali Al Neyadi connected women’s empowerment with the country’s rapid development over more than five decades, noting that this progress has been closely linked to investment in society and the development of human capabilities.

Al Neyadi addressed the presence of Emirati women in professional and leadership roles, highlighting that their progress is reflected not only in the positions they hold, but also in their active participation across society and in areas that contribute to policymaking and decision making.

The discussion reflected a broader development path in which women’s participation has expanded across education, professional life, administration, ministerial positions and national institutions, within a development model that places investment in people and their capabilities among its central priorities.

The conversation also highlighted the connection between women’s advancement, family and society, viewing them as part of the environment that supports women’s ambitions and participation. This approach aligns with the official message of this year’s Emirati Women’s Day, which presents women’s achievements as part of a wider national framework involving families, institutions and society.

The Ottawa event comes just days before Emirati Women’s Day, observed annually on August 28, a date that marks the founding of the General Women’s Union. The 2026 celebration carries the theme “We Show the Strongest and the Best,” announced by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the mother of the Nation.

This year’s theme focuses on building on previous achievements and highlighting women as an integral part of the UAE’s national development, with activities marking the occasion extending from August 28 through September 28.

A Presence Reflected in the Numbers

The growing role of Emirati women is also visible in official data and their representation across key national institutions.

Women currently hold 50 percent of the seats in the Federal National Council, with 20 women among its 40 members, following the decision to raise women’s representation in the council to half beginning with the 2019 electoral cycle.

In the executive branch, the current UAE Cabinet consists of 28 ministers, including six women holding portfolios in areas such as education, international cooperation, climate change and environment, community empowerment and family affairs, as well as a Minister of State and the Secretary General of the Cabinet.

Internationally, the UAE ranked 32nd globally in women’s political empowerment in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025, recording the strongest result in the region in this area.

Women’s participation is also strongly reflected in education. Official figures published in connection with the launch of the mother of the Nation 50:50 Vision showed that women accounted for 52.6 percent of university graduates, providing an important foundation for their growing presence across professional and leadership sectors.

In 2025, the UAE launched the “Mother of the Nation 50:50 Vision: Towards a Bright Future 2075,” a long-term framework designed to strengthen women’s role as partners in development while expanding their participation in future sectors, policymaking, decision making and international representation.

The vision builds on a journey that began with the establishment of the General Women’s Union in 1975 and sets ambitions extending to 2075.

The Ottawa celebration therefore placed the experience of Emirati women within the broader context of the UAE’s development journey. Their presence has expanded from education and employment into advanced levels of administration, leadership and political participation.

Between the achievements of the past five decades and the ambitions outlined for the future, women’s empowerment remains closely connected to a development vision that views the progress of women as part of the progress of society and the country as a whole.