Kuwait: State launches program to grant women prominent role in society

UNITED NATIONS, (KUNA): Sheikha Hessa Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, Deputy Chairperson of Women's Affairs Committee of the Kuwaiti Cabinet, announced late Saturday the launch of a women's empowerment program in her country and called on the private sector to contribute to this national project.

Sheikha Hessa, also Chairwoman of the Council of Arab Businesswomen, is currently participating in 52nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. 'I would like to take this opportunity to announce the launch of our ambitious development project for women's empowerment, which will take place in cooperation with the Arab League,' she said. She explained that the project included training programs and rehabilitation, adding that it would be implemented by Yanuf Consultation and Training Co, one of the leading Kuwait private sector firms working in this field.

Sheikha Hessa added that the empowerment project was the result of a series of meetings of the Kuwaiti Cabinet's committee for women's affairs, saying that the focus would be on workshops for small and medium business holders, as well as those working in the vocational field in order to better prepare them for the labor market.

She called on the private sector in Kuwait to help make this project a success, especially as women empowerment would be effective in achieving sustainable development. The UN Millennium Goals of 2000 placed great emphasis on the concept of women empowerment, she added. As for the participation of the Kuwaiti delegation in the UN Commission on the Status of Women session, she said it was 'successful,' adding that she was honored to deliver Kuwait's speech before the commission.

'We highlighted the constant activity and development in women's affairs and their empowerment politically, economically and socially ... we also showed examples and results of positive empowerment in Kuwait,' Sheikha Hessa added. Such results would not have been possible without the support of the Kuwaiti leadership, she said.

The commission is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. Representatives of its member states gather at UN Headquarters in New York annually to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote the status of women worldwide.