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H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), and the “Mother of the Nation”, today, reinforced the commitment of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leadership to empower Emirati women and support their ambitions to enable them to continue contributing to the UAE’s progress as the nation prepares for the next 50 years.
In a speech delivered on her behalf by Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, at a virtual event organised by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to mark the UAE’s 7th annual Emirati Women’s Day, H.H. Sheikha Fatima said, “I am proud of the achievements of Emirati women in all fields of work, and the prominent positions they hold thanks to the support of the wise leadership. I am confident that the participation of Emirati women in preparing for the next fifty years will be invaluable and influential, as they are competent and capable in achieving our nation’s goals and aspirations. This preparation will require continuous effort from Emirati women, not only in the field of work and professional development, but also in preparing future generations who will carry the flag for the UAE to reach the position sought by the wise leadership.”
Following H.H. Sheikha Fatima’s remarks, Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Managing Director and Group CEO of ADNOC, thanked H.H. Sheikha Fatima and highlighted the unwavering support of Her Highness and the UAE leadership in encouraging and providing opportunities for Emirati women to strengthen their contribution to enabling economic and social progress in the country.
The event was held in the presence of Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of Alliances for Global Sustainability, the Co-Founder of Aurora 50, Dr. Al Jaber, Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, and ADNOC senior management, and was broadcast live to thousands of employees across the company’s operations.
He said that Emirati women will play a central role as ADNOC lays the foundations to enable the UAE’s growth and prosperity for the next 50 years while urging them to capitalise on the opportunities at the company to achieve their full potential.
Dr. Al Jaber said, “ADNOC is proud to celebrate Emirati Women’s Day and recognise the outstanding contribution of Emirati Women in shaping our society and ADNOC, and the UAE’s progress as we celebrate our golden jubilee. We are grateful for the support of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak and the UAE Leadership in enabling our female colleagues to grow, develop and excel at all levels across the ADNOC Group.
“If you look at the progress we have made so far, it has been all about trying to make sure nothing prevents women from running any aspect of ADNOC’s business, including in the field. We have set ambitious targets to drive gender balance and we’ve been able to achieve most of them ahead of schedule. As a primary economic driver of the UAE, we will continue to provide the right environment for our female colleagues to thrive and achieve their full potential, and we will always support and empower their success.”
During the event, ADNOC outlined the achievements of its female workforce across leadership and technical roles in delivering against its 2030 strategy and its ongoing response to COVID-19. ADNOC also provided updates on the progress the company is making in driving greater inclusion of women, and in particular, Emirati female talent.
Last year, ADNOC pledged to double female representation in its technical positions to 25 percent by 2030. Currently, over 800 women work across ADNOC’s onshore and offshore sites, including the oil and gas industry’s first all-female leadership team of engineers on a site, at ADNOC’s Rumaitha field in Abu Dhabi as well as ADNOC’s first set of female drilling supervisors.
ADNOC continues to make strong and steady headway in driving gender balance with 30 percent of all Emirati recruits, and 44 percent of scholars, currently being women. In 2017, ADNOC set a target of increasing the percentage of women in leadership roles to 15 percent by 2020. This goal has since been exceeded, with over 17 percent of leadership positions being held by women, including three female CEOs across its Group companies.
In addition, ADNOC committed to ensuring at least one woman sits on the board of every ADNOC Group company by 2022. Today, 15 out of ADNOC’s 17 boards have female representation with 22 females across the boards.
