2009-06-24 13:25:28
WAM ABU DHABI, June 24th, 2009: UAE women have made remarkable achievements employing technology in service of the community, thanks to the efforts and generous support of H.H Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak President of the UAE Women's General Union (WGU) The GWU was among the first UAE institutions to use the latest tehnology to empower women, further advance their status and enable them take part in the process of building the nation.
Under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima, GWU, in November 2006, launched Women in Technology programme which serves as a perfect example of a public private partnership program designed to empower women through e-literacy.
Women in Technology is a regional public-private partnership program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative --or MEPI--and works in partnership with the General Women's Union and its several partners throughout the Emirates.
Considered as one of the most successful women's training programs in the region, Women in Technology for the Middle East and North Africa seeks to empower women and youth, create educational opportunities, and foster economic reform through helping women acquire skills in business planning and entrepreneurship and learn a wide-range of computer programs through Microsoft's Unlimited Potential training.
Sheikha Fatima has extended strong support to Women in Technology participants to help them polish their communication, leadership and business writing skills. The participants join a network through which they connect, engage in community service activities and share resources to help them to advance in their careers or enter the job market.
On remarks last April in Abu Dhabi, U.S Ambassaor Richard G. Olson, Jr. saluted Sheikha Fatima her patronage and unwavering support for this program, and her dedication to empowering women throughout the UAE, as well as Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi for his support for women's issues. Olson also commended the tremendous work and accomplishments of the Women in Technology Program in the United Arab Emirates. The efforts of the General Women's Union, the Institute of International Education, an American not for profit institution, and Microsoft were also also highlighted by Ambassador Olsen.
The United Arab Emirates, he said, continues to show its dedication to improving the lives of its people. Over the past 37 years, the Emirates' investment in improving education and effectively eliminating illiteracy, improving and providing health care to its citizens, and adapting to rapid change while also maintaining its traditions and cultural values, should be commended.
Sheikha Fatima spared no efforts to supoport the use of technology as a tool to enhance women's lives, ans this represents just one example of the cross-cultural work the Emirates is doing to show its commitment to being a responsible global citizen and creating a better future for its people.
GWU is actively supporting MEPI, a unique inititaive in that it focuses on partnerships to build bridges between the United States and the Middle East through creative projects working to expand political participation, strengthen civil society and the rule of law, empower women and youth, create educational opportunities, and foster economic reform.
MEPI projects reach out directly to Non Governmental Organizations, the private sector, academic institutions, and other local groups, as well as governments, in providing direct support to the people of the region in addressing locally identified priorities and opportunities.
The Women in Technology project in the UAE is a perfect example of a public private partnership program designed to empower women - in this case, through "e-literacy." Women acquire skills in Business Planning and Entrepreneurship and learn a wide-range of computer programs through Microsoft's Unlimited Potential training. Women in Technology participants also polish their communication, leadership and business writing skills. The participants join a network through which they connect, engage in community service activities and share resources to help them to advance in their careers or enter the job market.
The program also provides tools and intensive instruction and coaching to local partner organizations, such as the Western Region Development Council here in the UAE. This enables them to operate their training centers on a long-term basis. The program provides support for a cost-recovery business model and reduces partners' dependence on external sources of funding.
This is very powerful. And it ensures that partner organizations have the knowledge and tools to expand their reach and ability to serve women in their communities long into the future, in other words, sustainability.
The Women in Technology program has been implemented in collaboration with fifty (50) local partner organizations across nine countries in the Middle East and North Africa. To date, the program has trained more than 6,000 women in the region. The program is managed by the Institute of International Education, a not-for-profit organization based in the United States. The Institute has been developing and administering high quality international education, training and leadership programs worldwide since 1919.
In the private sector, Microsoft Corporation has been a generous supporter and partner of Women in Technology throughout the region. Microsoft has provided more than $1 million in cash, equipment and in-kind contributions to the program since 2005. In 2008, Microsoft recognized Women in Technology with the "Outstanding Partnership Award" for its innovative partnership model between local and international organizations and the private sector.
Microsoft continues to serve as a model in its commitment to empower women by providing knowledge and skills through its high-quality, globally-recognized training. In addition to donating curricula packages to all fifty partner organizations in the region, Microsoft has funded the preparation of nearly 250 trainers to deliver its Unlimited Potential curriculum. Microsoft Unlimited Potential is a global initiative designed to narrow the technology skills gap and aid global workforce development. Without Microsoft's ongoing partnership and support to Women in Technology throughout the Middle East and North Africa, this program would not be possible.
GWU is a lead local partner of MEPI since the program was launched in the UAE in 2006. It has been a pioneer in women's development in the UAE under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.
The General Women's Union's commitment to the partnership has allowed Women in Technology to gain recognition and reach women well beyond Abu Dhabi. Due to this strong foundation, Women in Technology was able last year to enter into a formal partnership with the Western Region Development Council, which has provided the extensive financial and logistical support needed to open new training centers for women in the Western Region.
WAM/MMYS
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Bahrain: Women pledge TV rights push
Gulf Daily News
By ANITA THOMAS, Posted on » Monday, May 04, 2009
A SERIES of public service announcements by women's groups could soon be aired on national television.
It follows a three-week workshop in which they were taught how to use computer technology to write, film and edit video messages.
The scheme was organised by the New York-based Barefoot Workshop, along with the Bahrain-based Smart Coaching and Research Centre.
Representatives of seven Bahraini women's organisations have written, directed and filmed a series of 30-second public service announcements, which were first screened last night at the Gulf Hotel.
The announcements aim to raise awareness of women's issues such as access to technology, participation in next year's national elections, domestic abuse, illiteracy and youth development.
Organisers hope they will also be broadcast on national television, posted on the Internet and even distributed to mobile phones.
Awareness
"We hope to support societies in Bahrain, particularly women's societies, to raise awareness about various issues faced by them," said programme director Alison Fast.
"We hope that this will be the first of a series of movements that will create awareness about the issues present within the society.
"Each women's society we have worked with has its own agenda for moving forward and has been equipped to spread public service announcements through the channels they choose and to the audience that they are aimed at."
The societies hope their messages will reach wider audience as possible thanks to advanced technology.
"We are hoping to be able to air the announcements on television where the majority of people can have access to them," said Ms Fast.
"Even illiterate people will be able to view them because nearly everyone watches television these days.
"Also sending them to people as messages on their mobile phones and posting them on the Net will definitely help reach more people."
Participating organisations included the Bahrain Young Ladies Association, Bahraini Society for Women's Development, Bahrain Women's Association - Human Development, Al Reef Young Lady Society, Hamad Town Women's Society, Awal Women's Society, Smart Coaching and Research Centre and the Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases.
By ANITA THOMAS, Posted on » Monday, May 04, 2009
A SERIES of public service announcements by women's groups could soon be aired on national television.
It follows a three-week workshop in which they were taught how to use computer technology to write, film and edit video messages.
The scheme was organised by the New York-based Barefoot Workshop, along with the Bahrain-based Smart Coaching and Research Centre.
Representatives of seven Bahraini women's organisations have written, directed and filmed a series of 30-second public service announcements, which were first screened last night at the Gulf Hotel.
The announcements aim to raise awareness of women's issues such as access to technology, participation in next year's national elections, domestic abuse, illiteracy and youth development.
Organisers hope they will also be broadcast on national television, posted on the Internet and even distributed to mobile phones.
Awareness
"We hope to support societies in Bahrain, particularly women's societies, to raise awareness about various issues faced by them," said programme director Alison Fast.
"We hope that this will be the first of a series of movements that will create awareness about the issues present within the society.
"Each women's society we have worked with has its own agenda for moving forward and has been equipped to spread public service announcements through the channels they choose and to the audience that they are aimed at."
The societies hope their messages will reach wider audience as possible thanks to advanced technology.
"We are hoping to be able to air the announcements on television where the majority of people can have access to them," said Ms Fast.
"Even illiterate people will be able to view them because nearly everyone watches television these days.
"Also sending them to people as messages on their mobile phones and posting them on the Net will definitely help reach more people."
Participating organisations included the Bahrain Young Ladies Association, Bahraini Society for Women's Development, Bahrain Women's Association - Human Development, Al Reef Young Lady Society, Hamad Town Women's Society, Awal Women's Society, Smart Coaching and Research Centre and the Batelco Care Centre for Family Violence Cases.
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Morocco: Morocco's telecommunications sector booming
Morocco's telecommunications sector booming
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 02/07/08
Ten years after the beginning of liberalisation in Morocco's telecommunications sector, indicators for the industry are all green. Business has increased rapidly over these ten years, although telephony and internet are not developing at the same pace. Turnover has surged from 8.5 billion dirhams in 1999 to 30 billion in 2007, equivalent to more than 7% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Liberalisation – a process undertaken ten years ago in the telecommunications sector – has made it possible to transition from a monopoly to a competitive market, and has helped Morocco become a regional leader in the industry.
According to Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, the sector is booming. "It has allowed the creation of 37,000 direct jobs and around 120,000 indirect jobs and represents half of the direct foreign investment made over the past five years," he said.
The number of landline subscribers reached 2,393,767 in 2007, compared with 1,266,119 subscribers in 2006 – an increase of 89%. Competition between the three private operators has had a beneficial effect on prices. The number of fixed residential lines has increased 136% during the same period. For mobile telephone subscribers, the number has increased from 16,004,731 in 2006 to some 20,029,030 by the end of 2007, an annual increase of 25%.
Despite the developments, telephony remains in its earliest stages, according to Azdine El Mountassir Billah, Director-General of the National Agency for Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT).
"All sectors in the economy are turning to the new technologies," he said. "Potential for development in the sector is still considerable."
Internet use has also increased, but not enough, the ANRT says. The number of ADSL subscribers is increasing constantly, with an annual growth rate of 57.6% in 2006 and 21.9% in 2007, but there are just 600,000 internet subscribers and 6 million internet users in total. Despite a population of more than 33 million, only 7,000 internet cafés are found in Morocco.
"I think the most important obstacle relates to a problem with content. This still falls short of what it is needed," El Mountassir Billah told reporters. "When an internet user is offered a number of online services, internet access will grow at practically the same rate as mobile telephone use. The sector requires some massive investment."
Although a good many Moroccans have fears over the security of their personal data on the net, El Mountassir Billah is keen to reassure them.
"The ANRT will work to narrow the digital gap," he said, "to encourage the development of support content, to protect people's private lives and to instil digital confidence to support electronic certification, business and the Administration."
---Magharebia.com
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 02/07/08
Ten years after the beginning of liberalisation in Morocco's telecommunications sector, indicators for the industry are all green. Business has increased rapidly over these ten years, although telephony and internet are not developing at the same pace. Turnover has surged from 8.5 billion dirhams in 1999 to 30 billion in 2007, equivalent to more than 7% of gross domestic product (GDP).
Liberalisation – a process undertaken ten years ago in the telecommunications sector – has made it possible to transition from a monopoly to a competitive market, and has helped Morocco become a regional leader in the industry.
According to Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, the sector is booming. "It has allowed the creation of 37,000 direct jobs and around 120,000 indirect jobs and represents half of the direct foreign investment made over the past five years," he said.
The number of landline subscribers reached 2,393,767 in 2007, compared with 1,266,119 subscribers in 2006 – an increase of 89%. Competition between the three private operators has had a beneficial effect on prices. The number of fixed residential lines has increased 136% during the same period. For mobile telephone subscribers, the number has increased from 16,004,731 in 2006 to some 20,029,030 by the end of 2007, an annual increase of 25%.
Despite the developments, telephony remains in its earliest stages, according to Azdine El Mountassir Billah, Director-General of the National Agency for Telecommunications Regulation (ANRT).
"All sectors in the economy are turning to the new technologies," he said. "Potential for development in the sector is still considerable."
Internet use has also increased, but not enough, the ANRT says. The number of ADSL subscribers is increasing constantly, with an annual growth rate of 57.6% in 2006 and 21.9% in 2007, but there are just 600,000 internet subscribers and 6 million internet users in total. Despite a population of more than 33 million, only 7,000 internet cafés are found in Morocco.
"I think the most important obstacle relates to a problem with content. This still falls short of what it is needed," El Mountassir Billah told reporters. "When an internet user is offered a number of online services, internet access will grow at practically the same rate as mobile telephone use. The sector requires some massive investment."
Although a good many Moroccans have fears over the security of their personal data on the net, El Mountassir Billah is keen to reassure them.
"The ANRT will work to narrow the digital gap," he said, "to encourage the development of support content, to protect people's private lives and to instil digital confidence to support electronic certification, business and the Administration."
---Magharebia.com
Monday, June 23, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Knowledge forum opens in Madinah
MADINAH: Madinah Governor Prince Abdul Aziz ibn Majed opened an international knowledge forum here yesterday and emphasized Saudi Arabia's efforts to further enhance its investment climate and create more educational and training opportunities to its citizens.
Addressing the opening session, Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), stressed his organization's strategy to attract international investment to knowledge-based industries at Madinah's Knowledge Economic City (KEC).
KEC also aims at attracting leading scientific institutions and Muslim scientists and intellectuals from different parts of the world to Madinah, he said. "KEC is set to become a major driving force of the national economy. It will also create more job opportunities for Saudis," he added.
Prominent scientists from across the world - including Dr. Afzal Hossain and Stein Sture from the United States, Professor Sar Sardy from Indonesia, Dr. Musa M. Nordin from Malaysia and Dr. Anis Ahmed from Pakistan - are attending the conference, entitled "Noor" (Light).
"The primary objective of the annual forum is to promote human civilization from the land of Madinah by attracting investors, scientists, scholars and pioneer institutions to the Knowledge Economic City, which is set to become an international center for knowledge," SAGIA officials said.
Major topics to be discussed at the forum include high-tech innovation and creativity in the Muslim world, strategies to decrease genetic disorders, knowledge infrastructure development through engineering and information and communications technology (ICT), and bioinformatics-based investment in the Kingdom.
The 24 speakers also include four women - Sabeeha Rehman, president and co-founder of the National Autism Association in New York; Dr. Naima Abdel Ghani, director of the Medical Clinic for Preventive Medicine, Immunotherapy and Anti-Aging Medicine in Florida; Arfa Khan, professor of radiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York; and Dr. Khadijah Shamsuddin, a researcher on maternal health, child health, reproductive health and women's cancers in Malaysia.
-- Arab News
Addressing the opening session, Amr Al-Dabbagh, governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA), stressed his organization's strategy to attract international investment to knowledge-based industries at Madinah's Knowledge Economic City (KEC).
KEC also aims at attracting leading scientific institutions and Muslim scientists and intellectuals from different parts of the world to Madinah, he said. "KEC is set to become a major driving force of the national economy. It will also create more job opportunities for Saudis," he added.
Prominent scientists from across the world - including Dr. Afzal Hossain and Stein Sture from the United States, Professor Sar Sardy from Indonesia, Dr. Musa M. Nordin from Malaysia and Dr. Anis Ahmed from Pakistan - are attending the conference, entitled "Noor" (Light).
"The primary objective of the annual forum is to promote human civilization from the land of Madinah by attracting investors, scientists, scholars and pioneer institutions to the Knowledge Economic City, which is set to become an international center for knowledge," SAGIA officials said.
Major topics to be discussed at the forum include high-tech innovation and creativity in the Muslim world, strategies to decrease genetic disorders, knowledge infrastructure development through engineering and information and communications technology (ICT), and bioinformatics-based investment in the Kingdom.
The 24 speakers also include four women - Sabeeha Rehman, president and co-founder of the National Autism Association in New York; Dr. Naima Abdel Ghani, director of the Medical Clinic for Preventive Medicine, Immunotherapy and Anti-Aging Medicine in Florida; Arfa Khan, professor of radiology at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York; and Dr. Khadijah Shamsuddin, a researcher on maternal health, child health, reproductive health and women's cancers in Malaysia.
-- Arab News
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Saudi Arabia: Government tightens grip on internet use
by David Westley
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has begun implementing new laws for controlling the use of technology for terrorism, fraud, pornography, defamation, violating religious values and disregarding public etiquette.
The new information technology law contains 16 articles, and provides a maximum penalty of 10 years and a SR5 million fine for persons found guilty of running web sites in support of terrorist organisations. A maximum penalty of three years and a SR500,000 fine will be handed to anyone found guilty of financial or data fraud, or found guilty of attacking the private life of another subject.
The new law also covers the religious and social use of information and communications technology. Those who produce and distribute IT materials that violate public law, religious values and public etiquette will receive up to five years in jail, and a SR3 million fine.
Those who use information technology to spread and market pornography will face the same punishment.The new law comes into effect as Saudi Arabia faces the world's attention for its treatment of Saudi blogger Ahmad Fouad Al-Farhan.
Al-Farhan was arrested for violating "non-security regulations", and is believed to be the first online critic to be arrested in the kingdom.Al-Farhan’s blog - Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, shoura and all the rest of lost Islamic values - has posted a letter, allegedly from Al-Farhan, which states he believes he was arrested because he "wrote about political prisoners in Saudi Arabia".
According to a Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry source, speaking to Saudi newspaper, Arab News, the new law has been introduced to "combat IT-related crimes that threatens security and safety of human societies".
Punishment will be extended to those who aid those who commit IT crime; while those show that they exhibited intent to commit the crime through their actions, even if the crime didn’t take place, will receive up to half the maximum sentence.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has begun implementing new laws for controlling the use of technology for terrorism, fraud, pornography, defamation, violating religious values and disregarding public etiquette.
The new information technology law contains 16 articles, and provides a maximum penalty of 10 years and a SR5 million fine for persons found guilty of running web sites in support of terrorist organisations. A maximum penalty of three years and a SR500,000 fine will be handed to anyone found guilty of financial or data fraud, or found guilty of attacking the private life of another subject.
The new law also covers the religious and social use of information and communications technology. Those who produce and distribute IT materials that violate public law, religious values and public etiquette will receive up to five years in jail, and a SR3 million fine.
Those who use information technology to spread and market pornography will face the same punishment.The new law comes into effect as Saudi Arabia faces the world's attention for its treatment of Saudi blogger Ahmad Fouad Al-Farhan.
Al-Farhan was arrested for violating "non-security regulations", and is believed to be the first online critic to be arrested in the kingdom.Al-Farhan’s blog - Searching for freedom, dignity, justice, equality, shoura and all the rest of lost Islamic values - has posted a letter, allegedly from Al-Farhan, which states he believes he was arrested because he "wrote about political prisoners in Saudi Arabia".
According to a Saudi Arabian Interior Ministry source, speaking to Saudi newspaper, Arab News, the new law has been introduced to "combat IT-related crimes that threatens security and safety of human societies".
Punishment will be extended to those who aid those who commit IT crime; while those show that they exhibited intent to commit the crime through their actions, even if the crime didn’t take place, will receive up to half the maximum sentence.
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