On the very special occasion of the Global Centenary of International Women’s Day, and on behalf of the Board and Members of the Arab International Women’s Forum, I would like to take this opportunity to commend and congratulate women all over the world for their remarkable achievements in advancing the issue of women’s empowerment at all levels of economic, social and political debate.

The march of progress began in 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York City demanding better working conditions, equal pay and the right to vote. In 1911, the first International Women’s Day was recognized and today, one hundred years on, the baton has been passed to a new global generation of educated, world-aware and technologically-savvy women who are making real, meaningful and unprecedented contributions to their communities, academic systems, their economic, political, legislative and judicial structures and their societies overall.

This last decade in particular has seen a monumental shift, not only in attitudes towards gender equality but in the enhancement of opportunities that are now available to women and girls – opportunities that would have been considered unthinkable and near impossible only one generation ago. In this last decade, and particularly in the wake of 2008’s global economic recession, the tone of international discourse surrounding the subject of women’s empowerment has also shifted – it is no longer a matter of political correctness but now regarded as a crucial economic imperative. We now have women governing communities, societies and nations at all levels, from communities to courtrooms and the private sector through to politics. There are more women serving in company boardrooms, political cabinets and the global media than ever before. Women are starting and growing viable, successful businesses at an encouraging rate, and education statistics for women and girls show that they are far exceeding the achievements of their male counterparts in relation to academic enrollment and success.

However, despite this, the statistics also confirm an uncomfortable disconnect between the numbers of women being highly educated, running communities, businesses and indeed countries, and the fact that women are still paid less than their male counterparts, many industries (science, finance, medicine and technology being at the forefront of these) are still heavily male dominated, women are still not equally represented in the business or political realms and across the globe, women still do not have equal access to education, healthcare or protection from violence.

While it is important to be aware of the issues still at hand, it is also vital that the international community celebrates, inspires, empowers and connects the women who work tirelessly to keep the subject of empowerment at the forefront of international human rights and development discourse. IWD is now an official national holiday in 27 nations; global corporations are actively supporting IWD events and initiatives; the global media is promoting women’s achievements in an increasingly positive light and the march of progress continues, unabated by recent geopolitical events, civil unrest, war and violence.

Particularly in view of recent events in the region, the mainstreaming of gender equality in Arab political structures is now considered essential for the successful development, progress and modernisation of the Arab region overall. IWD affords us with the opportunity to recognize and celebrate those women on the ground who are making ground-breaking contributions to national and regional economic, political and social decisions in pursuit of better opportunities for all Arab citizens.

Throughout the Arab world, women are now increasingly in positions of leadership, playing important key roles in the business and political development of their countries. There are women CEOs, women engineers, women government ministers, women entrepreneurs, women bankers, professors … the list is endless.

However, significant barriers remain. The achievements of Arab women in academia are not being reflected in statistics related to business ownership, private sector employment and social development. The Arab world’s population is among the fastest-growing in the world, but significantly, the MENA region still sees the highest regional youth unemployment rates globally (these rates being disproportionately higher for young women). And in the early months of 2011, the world’s attention was brought to the region’s most worrisome and timeliest priority – creating and promoting opportunities for economic empowerment and integration for the youth of the Arab world.

These are indeed extraordinary times for the Arab world. The recent momentous events in the region were youth-led events mobilized by social media, an unprecedented signal that the long-predicted ‘youthquake’ that The World Bank and other international development organizations have warned about over the last decade, had become reality in the region. In these times of momentous change, it is critical that women in the region and the international community do not lose sight of the progress that has been made in recent years for and by Arab women. It is important that women everywhere take stock of the remarkable progress that has been achieved and build upon this, becoming powerful advocates for the concept of women as engines of growth in the Arab world.

This year’s UN theme for International Women’s Day, ‘Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women’, is a central tenet of the Arab International Women’s Forum’s vision and mission for 2011 and beyond. As the Arab International Women’s Forum commemorates a special anniversary of its own in 2011, we continue to champion a concerted drive at the highest levels to advance gender equality, sustainable development, and inclusive innovation and job creation initiatives in the Arab world through various strategies that are true testaments to the power of partnership.

In the year of our 10th anniversary, fifteen years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and a decade after the MDGs, AIWF is presenting far-reaching proposals for the advocacy, encouragement, enhanced objectives and action to be vigorously followed within the next decade. There will be a determined focus on meeting the current challenges, which we have identified as: working for improved opportunities for young people and women in education, business, job creation and for their social and economic empowerment. This then becomes the clarion call for AIWF as we continue our mission of Building Bridges, Building Business to shape a better future for women, their careers, their families and their communities.
 
Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani
Chairman, Arab International Women’s Forum