The Second Arab Women Leadership Forum
Women’s Leadership in Organizations: Towards New Conceptions of Work-Life Balance |
 For the second year in a row, the Dubai School of Government’s Gender and Public Policy Program joined the Dubai Women Establishment to serve as knowledge partner for their annual Arab Women Leadership Forum. Held on January 12-13, 2010 in the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Dubai, the theme of this year’s conference was “Women’s Leadership in Organizations: Towards New Conceptions of Work-Life balance.” The Forum—which was held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai—is an annual conference organized by the DWE which provides an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of outstanding individuals and organizations that have contributed to advancing women’s leadership worldwide.
 The two-day conference was comprised of a series of exciting panels and workshops, distinguished speakers, and leading intellectuals, and provided an opportunity for participants to learn, engage in challenging discussions, and network. Panel sessions focused on issues including childcare initiatives, negotiation and leadership, policy makers’ perspectives, the role of men in achieving work-life balance, and helping women successfully transition back into the workplace. The Forum featured over 20 speakers, including Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett, President of the Center for Work-Life Policy (USA), HE Selma Kavaf, Minister of Women and Family Affairs (Turkey), Prof. Rafia Ghubash, President of the Arab Network for Women in Science and Technology (UAE), among others.
 The DWE’s mandate is to contribute to the economic and social development of the UAE through gender sensitive policy design, research, leadership development programs, and networking events. Through these initiatives, the DWE aims at creating opportunities to engage UAE women in the country’s development process. Through the collaborative efforts of this conference, the Gender and Public Policy Program aims to contribute towards a better understanding of the gender gap in leadership in the Arab world.
On January 11, Aisha Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of the Dubai Women Establishment, delivered the keynote address at a gala dinner held to honor speakers and sponsors of the AWLF
The conference kicked off in full on January 12 with an overview of issues concerning work-life balance. This introductory discussion included speakers from all subsequent panels in order to discuss overarching conference themes and the relationships between them. The first panel of the forum, “Successful childcare initiatives: A case study,” explored successful childcare initiatives and drew from local experience to report findings from work done by the Dubai Women’s Establishment’s National Childcare Center (NCC) towards improving childcare policies in the workplace. The second panel, “Policymakers perspectives,” focused on the perspectives of policymakers towards work-life balance in the region, and brought together legislators, members of parliament, ministers, and decision makers from across the region to discuss their respective governments’ gender equality laws and "women-friendly" work policies.
The second day shifted to more nuanced perspective of work-life balance. The first panel, "Negotiating for leadership: Exploring negotiation dynamics at home and in the workplace," was moderated by Dr. May Aldabbagh of the Dubai School of Government. The panel examined work-life balance through a negotiation lens, exploring how men and women negotiate for opportunities and resources at work and at home. The second panel of the day, "Recognizing the role of men in achieving work-life balance in a globalized world," took a novel approach to work-life balance, examining the role of men in achieving this balance in a globalized world. The final panel of the forum, "Re-integration: How to make it work at work," addressed more practical solutions towards work-life balance, and the issue of women’s re-integration into the workforce.
Link to the conference website: www.awlf.ae
Link to the Dubai Women’s Establishment: www.dwe.gov.ae
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