ABU DHABI, 8th March, 2021 (WAM) -- Rwanda and the UAE share a common vision on women empowerment, according to Rwandan Ambassador to the UAE.

In a statement marking International Women’s Day, celebrated annually on 8th March, Emmanuel Hategeka said, "Today, we celebrate women in leadership positions across national, regional and global institutions."

He cited the recent election of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a Nigerian-American economist and international development expert, as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, and Rwandan Economist Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa as the vice-chairperson of the African Union Commission, as examples.

"One can draw parallels with the equally laudable successful Hope Probe Mission to Mars and the magnificent groundbreaking Expo 2020 officially starting in October of 2021 in Dubai – both historic with women leaders at the helm," Okonjo-Iweala said.

With high levels of women participation in the UAE Cabinet and women making up 66 percent of the public sector workforce in the Emirates, according to the UAE Gender Balance Council data, the country is arguably leading the region in gender parity, the envoy pointed out.

He explained that after the devastating effects of the 1994 genocide, which destroyed the socioeconomic fabric of Rwanda, the government placed gender equality and women’s empowerment at the forefront as full recovery could only be possible with women and men equally contributing to the country’s vision for development.

Rwanda is now a global leader in women participation in legislative decision-making positions with 61.3 percent female members of parliament and ranked ninth globally in closing gender gaps according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020, he said.

"Also, 52 percent of the Cabinet members are women, among the Judges and clerks, women stand at 49.7 percent while in the local government leadership, women occupy 45.2 percent as Members of District Councils," he added. "As we mark the International Women’s Day of 2021, a lot remains to be done to achieve gender equality, let us all together strive for a world where equality and equity prevail." - WAM/Binsal Abdulkader/MOHD AAMIR