On the sidelines of Expo Dubai 2020

Emirati energy minister stresses women's contributions needed to meet future challenges

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Women have played an important role in driving the UAE's key achievements, and their contributions are needed to solve future challenges, whether in urban planning or otherwise, highlighted Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure at the Women's World Majlis on Monday at Expo 2020.

"The UAE is leading the region in terms of urban planning and as a nation with a vision for the future of sustainability ... and all our plans have women embedded in them. Today, 53.4 per cent of the Ministry's workforce in specialised engineering, which used to be a male field, are women. We do this because we want to excel ... and by not allowing women's creativity, especially when it comes to urban planning, we know we will be left behind. As a government, we will continue to support gender balance because that will keep us leading not only the region, but hopefully the world," said Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei during the event, which focused on ensuring that women have access to resources. 

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Looking ahead, the minister added: "Our goal for the future is to go at a speed 10 times faster than our previous achievements of the [last] 50 years. This is necessary for us to be able to meet the challenges ahead ... And I know we will be leading because we are empowering women and enabling them to be creative in their fields. These achievements would not be possible without the role of Her Highness Fatima bint Mubarak, starting early in the beginning of the nation [where she was] fighting for women's rights, and the continuation of Her Highness Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, establishing the [Gender Balance] Council and Her Excellency Mona al-Marri ... We have benefited from [women's] engagement; it is alive and it is within our DNA here in the UAE."

Meanwhile, Claudia López, Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, the first woman to hold the office, shared her experience of making the Colombian capital a 'solidarity' city. Using 'Care Blocks' that guarantee proximity to social services, the system aims to relieve women of the overload of unpaid care work and enable opportunities for education, work and income generation.

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The Mayor of Bogotá said: "We are working on rethinking our city, so that the gender approach permeates our planning strategy, and we can improve the quality of life for all citizens, particularly women... We take a moment to envision a city where women can thrive, without barriers or fear, a city that can provide freedom and access to essential care services. A city with safe and greener public spaces is a good city for women and for everyone".

Under the mayor's leadership, Bogotá is also working to design a safe city for women and all citizens, with features that include bicycle routes, well-lit parks and public spaces, safer transport systems and unobstructed pavements

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A similar sentiment was echoed by a panellist addressing the Women's World Majlis, which was held in collaboration with the Slovenian Pavilion, Jenny Elliot, a landscape architect and chartered urban designer from the UK: "I have always tried to incorporate the idea of pre-design community Engagement and participation into my work, throughout the design process. It's important to understand that I experience a city in very different ways to someone else, and we need to make sure that we are always talking to people and that their voices are heard. Public spaces or cities should work whether you are three or 93, whether you have different mobility needs, whether you are neurodiverse or neurotypical, as well as whether you are a man or a woman there."

The event, held at the Expo 2020 Women's Pavilion in partnership with Cartier, is part of the Expo's Rural and Urban Development Week, which explores how we must transform the way we move, build, consume and live in the habitats of the future. Rural and Urban Development Week runs until 6 November 2021.

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