UAE tops MENA region in WB’s 'Women, Business and the Law 2023'

Sheikha Manal made these comments following the release of the Women, Business and the Law 2023 report by the World Bank, which ranked the UAE as the leading country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The UAE received a full score in five of the report’s eight key indicators, including Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Entrepreneurship, and Pension.

Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed commended the UAE’s success in providing women with equal opportunities through a series of legislation and policies aimed at ensuring that women continue to contribute to the nation's progress and build a better future for present and future generations.

Sheikha Manal expressed her gratitude to President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, for their support and encouragement in achieving this milestone. She also appreciated their commitment to granting women the opportunity to serve the nation and contribute to its progress.

The President of the UAE Gender Balance Council highlighted that the UAE serves as a global model in women’s empowerment, achieved through the collaboration of the public and private sectors who share a common vision of enhancing women’s contributions in the workplace. This partnership has been reinforced by laws and regulations that provide women with ample opportunities to contribute to the nation’s development across various sectors, including future-oriented industries where the UAE is a leader. She also emphasised that this progress aligns with the leadership’s vision of making the UAE the best nation in the world by 2070.

The annual World Bank report, that covers 190 countries, indicated that the UAE scored 82.5 out of 100 possible points across 35 sub-indicators divided into eight main areas of the report: Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension.