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AMN / DUBAI
In a major decision, United Arab Emirates,UAE has increased the representation of Emirati women in the Federal National Council to 50 per cent from the coming Parliamentary term.
A decree passed by the UAE President has directed the doubling of the current percentage of women’s representation in the Federal National Council from 22.5 per cent to 50 per cent in the coming parliamentary term.
The Emirati News Agency reported that the decision aims to rank the UAE in the top positions worldwide in terms of representation of women in parliament. This will enable the UAE women to achieve in a record time, what has been achieved by their counterparts globally in decades.
Last week the UAE Cabinet had adopted a new package of national legislative policies and initiatives to empower the Emirati women and make them partners in the country’s progress.
In a tweet , Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai said that “the Presidential decree allocating 50% of the seats in the Federal National Council to women is a great leap forward in cementing the legislative and parliamentary role of women in our nation’s development . Women are half of our society; they should be represented as such.”
The Federal National Council (FNC) is the consultative council, the parliamentary body of the UAE. It has 40 members. The current FNC is the result of the latest elections in 2015. Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi is the Chairperson and the Speaker of the Federal National Council.
Dr. Al Qubaisi was also the first woman elected to the FNC in 2006. Her journey in the FNC represents a historical moment for women’s political empowerment in the country.