Launch of the Arab International Women’s Forum initiative on Arab young women leaders: the voice of the future in partnership with PWC in Amman, Jordan

The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) held a conference on June 26^th 2012 to launch an initiative entitled Young Arab Women Leaders: The Voice of the Future in partnership with PwC. As the first of a series of events planned for the year and beyond, the debut event was attended by guest of honour HE Mrs Nadia Aloul, Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, who delivered a keynote address. The first-of-its-kind Forum aimed to assist a wide spectrum of young women leaders in Jordan and across the region to further optimise and strengthen their personal business skills and overall contribution to the business world and community at large.

Designed to assist young women leaders in understanding the role of gender in shaping political, economic and social opportunities available to women in the Arab world, the Forum’s main objectives were to provide the ideal opportunity for participants to gain key insights into best practice methods that transform challenges and barriers into success stories and various opportunities for development and enhancement. It also served as a platform for the generation of young aspiring women to support, engage and network with other women in pioneering political, economic and social leadership roles in the Arab world while learning more about the qualities of leadership for women in the 21^st century, in addition to encouraging women to use their experience and expertise to serve and promote the gender gap concept.

Moderated by HE Mrs Suzanne Afaneh - Managing Partner of Advvise, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Forum was attended by nearly 80 participants from Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, UAE, USA and UK, and witnessed the participation of several prominent figures and guest speakers from the corporate, NGO and Government sectors. They included Mrs Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder Chairman of AIWF, guest of honour HE Mrs Nadia Aloul, Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Mr Warwick Hunt, PwC Middle East Managing Partner UAE, HE Suhair Al Ali, former Minister of Planning & International Cooperation, HE Hala Bsaiso Lattouf, Director and Partner, AYA for Consultancy and Development Jordan, Ms Norma Taki, PwC Partner , Ms Muna Sukhtian, Managing Director of Microfund for Women (MFW), Ms Salwa Katkhuda, Investment Manager, Oasis 500, Ms Amal Abusrour, Programmes Development Manager, Islamic Relief Worldwide Palestine, Professor Reem Obeidat, Registered Senior Consultant/Trainer, UN Agencies and INTL Organisations, Jordan, Ms Sandra Hiari, Urbanist, Writer and Founder, Tareeq, Jordan, Dr Halaema Al Sabbah, Post-Doctorate Nutrition Research Fellow- Fulbright visiting Scholar at Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Centre, Tufts University Medical Centre, USA, Ms Mariam Saleem Abu Daqqa, Client Relations Officer, V&V Marketing Communications Company,  Palestine, Ms Rana Abu Samaha, Legal Consultant, DLA Piper Middle East, Ms Maali Qasem, Founding Member, Jordanian Chapter for Transparency International, Jordan and finally HE Eng Maysoon Zoubi, Secretary General, Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Jordan.

Commenting on the Forum, Mrs Haifa Al Kaylani, Founder Chairman of AIWF stated, “Over the last decade, AIWF has firmly believed that Arab governments must comprehensively adopt a sustainable development strategy that is focused on the rights of the Arab world’s most precious asset and natural resource – its people, especially women and young people. Our underlying priority in 2012 and in years to come is to promote empowerment for women and youth to act as future agents for lasting, sustainable development and prosperity in the Arab world.”

Mrs. Al Kaylani added, “We are pleased to announce that the Conference, through its prominent speakers and carefully planned content, managed to shed light on the substantial variation in size of the gaps across countries, and the fundamental role of economic development and leadership in closing such gaps. We are also very fortunate to have speakers who provided added-value and brought the conference objectives to life through their own personal experience and success stories and by creating an informative, invaluable and interactive experience.”

Mrs. Al Kaylani went on to say that AIWF is proud to work closely with PwC and AIWF’s Global Corporate and Institutional Partners in this important initiative which introduces a new generation to commonly shared principles by encouraging young professionals to enhance their contribution to society and business in addition to developing further leadership skills.

Mr. Warwick Hunt, PwC’s Middle East Managing Partner added, “Through its several Initiatives, PwC believes in the role of women. PwC aims to surface novel thinking and innovative approaches. It draws on the unique expertise of members of the PwC family – Partners, Directors, Managers and Staff. The outcome of our work for this year will cover the following priorities: ensuring macro-economic stability for the region; addressing the challenge of youth employment and closing the gender gap; building of trust in public life; accountability; understanding new paradigms and opportunities for enhancing regional cooperation; public finance management; securing a strong middle class; and supporting economies in transition."

Mr Hunt added: "The important changes taking place in North Africa and the Middle East provide a unique window of opportunity for the region to leverage its “Women and Youth Initiatives” and introduce the transparent and accountable policies and institutions that will support increased competitiveness and higher living standards. The role and powerful impact women have created must be appreciated, especially through increasing gender equality in the political and economic arenas in the region."

The event included a diverse range of engaging topics and panel discussions including Welcoming and Introducing The AIWF-PwC Young Arab Leaders Program, Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Transforming Barriers into Opportunities,  Opportunities and Challenges for Young Women Leaders, PwC Vision on Young Women Leaders Programme, Mentorship and Coaching: Be a Better leader, Reflections on Leadership: My Story, Young Women Leaders and Why They Matter, Women and The Power of Social Media, Social Responsibility: More Women Leaders, Better CSR’ and The Way Forward.