ABU DHABI, 29th May 2020 – Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, GWU, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation,FDF, has praised the contributions made by women to peacekeeping operations around the world.
This came in a statement she made today to mark the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers, which is observed around the world on 29th May every year. It is celebrated this year under the theme: Women in Peacekeeping: A Key to Peace.
Sheikha Fatima said the UAE believes in the woman’s role in the society as a leader, decision-maker and a key partner in the development process.
She also highlighted the UN Women’s selection of the UAE to provide a two-year Peacekeeping Training Programme for women from different parts of the world, saying it is a testimony to the country’s message of peace and security to the world.
“The Peacekeeping Training Programme, jointly undertaken by the UN Women and the GWU, is one of the national strategic priorities to empower women in the UAE. It is built on a constructive partnership and continuous cooperation with the relevant international organisations to enable and engage women into making positive changes,” she said.
The programme was first launched in January 2019 with 134 Arab women from the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen, featuring a three-month basic military training followed by a two-week peacekeeping training at Khawla bint Al Azwar Military Academy for Women in Abu Dhabi. The second phase, which started in January this year, saw women from African and Asian countries trained on peacekeeping operations.
The programme is run in partnership with the UN Women UAE Liaison Office in Abu Dhabi, the UAE Ministry of Defence, and the GWU.
