The United Arab Emirates has achieved a qualitative development in various sectors, occupying advanced positions in various international competitiveness indicators by preparing world-leading infrastructure and empowering human competencies of both genders.
The UAE has enhanced women's contributions in areas of construction, development, and progress, including climate change issues and the search for sustainable solutions globally for this challenge that threatens all countries and communities. The country has opened avenues for women to effectively contribute to supporting national efforts to enhance environmental protection and address the impacts of climate change through sustainable initiatives and solutions that benefit future generations. Through this participatory approach, the UAE has reaffirmed its commitment to entrenching its pioneering model in women's rights and its full confidence in women's qualifications and abilities to provide effective contributions across all fields. Emirati women have proven their active presence in climate issues and have contributed to shaping readiness directions to confront climate challenges, bolstered by support from the wise leadership of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak "Mother of the UAE," President of the General Women's Union, Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and the Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation, who provides all means of care for women in various fields, especially in the environment and climate.
The UAE has introduced various initiatives and programs to engage women in climate action, aligning with the "Champions of Climate Action" theme within the "National Sustainability" campaign, which was launched coinciding with preparations to host the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change "COP28" that is held from November 30 to December 12 this year in Expo City Dubai. This campaign aims to highlight the efforts of individuals from the UAE community committed to engaging in innovative initiatives in climate action to build a more sustainable society.
**Women as Climate Decision-Makers**
The wise leadership in the UAE supports women's empowerment as a main pillar of all developmental efforts, allowing women to hold many leadership positions and play significant roles in the environmental and climate sectors, thus bringing about positive change nationally and globally. This is based on early preparations embodied in elevating the educational level of Emirati women and motivating them to obtain the highest scientific qualifications, which are fundamental to providing their vision in sustainable solutions for climate issues.
The presence of Emirati women in leadership positions in effective decision-making regarding climate and environmental protection reflects the scientific competency of Emirati women. For example, Her Excellency Mariam bint Mohammed Al Mheiri serves as the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, overseeing the implementation of the country's plans and strategies in climate change, environment, food security, and water security. Additionally, Sheikha Shamma bint Sohail bin Faris Al Mazrouei has been appointed as the Youth Climate Champion, while Her Excellency Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak has been appointed as UN Climate Champion at the COP28 conference. She was previously elected President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature in September 2021 for a four-year term, making her the second woman to lead this prestigious organization and the first woman from the Arab world to hold this position.
**Education and Climate Change Challenges**
Educational institutions in the UAE have focused on providing the community with female competencies capable of anticipating future requirements and tackling global phenomena that impose their challenges on all societies. The United Nations has confirmed that education is one of the critical factors in addressing climate change and has called for public awareness campaigns regarding climate change to ensure public participation in programs and access to information on the issue. The UN indicated that education can encourage people to change their attitudes and behaviors, understand the impacts of global warming, and learn how to adapt to climate change.
In terms of women's role in bringing about radical changes in climate issues based on their educational and knowledge backgrounds, indicators of education in the country show both quantitative and qualitative growth. The UAE achieved first place in the Arab world and sixth globally in the quality of pre-university education, positively reflecting on women's empowerment in education, as women occupy around half of the seats in engineering colleges.
According to statistics from the UAE Gender Balance Council, there are over 10,000 female students at Higher Colleges of Technology, while females constitute 60% of Emirati graduates at Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, which focuses on advanced energy technologies and sustainable development. The literacy rate among females in the UAE stands at 95.8%, with 95% of female secondary school graduates enrolling in higher education compared to 80% among males. Furthermore, females make up between 80% and 90% of total students at both the University of the Emirates and Zayed University, respectively.
**Local and Global Initiatives**
In conjunction with the UAE’s preparations to host "COP28", the initiative "Climate Change and Gender Equality" was launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the General Women's Union and UN Women’s Regional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council, with sponsorship from Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak. This initiative aims to support women's participation in the climate change action framework.
Moreover, Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company "Masdar" launched the "Women for Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy" platform, which is a strategic initiative aimed at encouraging women to play an active role in addressing global sustainability challenges. This platform was launched during the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York in September 2015.
The "Women for Sustainability, Environment, and Renewable Energy" platform includes several activities, programs, and an annual forum, all aiming to enhance women's and girls' roles in active climate action and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, inspiring a new generation of conscious women leaders in sustainability issues. Since its launch, the platform has held high-level forums attended by over 2,000 participants, contributing to enhancing sustainability and achieving gender balance. Masdar announced last year the graduation of 23 female graduates from the "Pioneers" program conducted under the platform’s umbrella.
The "Sustainable Homes" initiative, generously launched under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, aims to build women's capacities and awareness to fulfill their vital role in preserving the environment, including a series of workshops and dialogue sessions designed to enhance women's capacity regarding sustainability concepts and strengthen their role in establishing sustainable environmental practices at home.
The UAE launched a proactive initiative in 2013 highlighting the importance of women's participation in disseminating environmental culture among family members and establishing correct environmental behavior among their children. This initiative was represented in the "Let's Show Appreciation for Future Generations" initiative launched by the General Women's Union.
Among the prominent initiatives targeting Emirati women is the "My Agriculture, My Self-Sufficiency" initiative, launched in late 2015, aimed at encouraging women to practice home gardening and enable them to rely on local production of agricultural crops and meet their basic food needs, thereby enhancing women's vital role in sustaining the environment. Another initiative, "Handicrafts", focuses on utilizing natural products and recycling them to deliver traditional Emirati products to preserve the Emirati heritage based on recycling some natural resources. The "Positive Energy" initiative was launched in collaboration with the UAE Women’s Sports Federation at the beginning of this year and includes a series of sports activities and dialogue sessions to enhance physical and mental health, reducing the impact of climate change on women's health.
Globally, the General Women's Union launched the "African Rural Women in Agriculture" initiative in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the UAE Red Crescent, and the Gulf Regional Office of UN Women, aimed at training rural women in several African countries on agriculture and adapting agricultural methodologies to confront climate change challenges, while providing them with economic returns; the project aims to train 10,000 women.
**Women as Environmental Friends**
Emirati women have made a significant mark in the exceptional achievements achieved by the UAE in eco-friendly sectors such as nuclear energy and renewable energy. Since the launch of the UAE's peaceful nuclear program, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation has ensured complete opportunities for Emirati women to contribute to developing the Barakah nuclear energy plants. The corporation and its subsidiaries, Nawah Energy Company and Barakah One Company, have placed exceptional importance on developing the Emirati women's workforce in this advanced scientific and technical sector, resulting in Emirati women occupying significant roles across various specialties in the nuclear energy sector. The percentage of women in the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation and its subsidiaries exceeds 20%, one of the highest percentages globally, while the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority employs nearly 700 Emirati female engineers in various fields such as renewable energy and sustainable energy.
**Drivers of Solutions**
UN data indicates that women and girls are the most affected by the impacts of climate change, hence achieving gender balance should be a core component in addressing this global crisis and ensuring a sustainable future for all. The UN focuses on women worldwide as change agents, describing them as "drivers of solutions." It calls for educating them on how to integrate climate-smart solutions into their work, as these community-led environmental approaches benefit not only the environment but also empower women to enhance the quality of life for their families and communities while promoting sustainable development. The UAE supports women's participation in decision-making processes as a top priority to enhance gender balance.
