Doha, Qatar: The Qatari Businesswomen Association participated in the Fifth Gulf Businesswomen Forum, which was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from March 15-16, under the theme “Gulf Women between Empowerment and Leadership”; the forum is organized by the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Federation of Saudi Chambers, and the Jeddah Chamber; Under the generous patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Governor of Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region, and in the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Saud bin Abdullah bin Jalawi, Governor of Jeddah, and Her Royal Highness Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal, with the participation of more than 1,000 guests from various Gulf and Arab countries.
QBWA delegation was headed by Her Excellency Mrs. Aisha Alfardan, QBWA Vice-Chairman, and the delegation also included Mrs. Awatef Al Dafaa, Ms. Amal Al-Aathem, Ms. Natra Said Abdulla, Dr. Tahani Saker, Ms. Jameela Al-Youssef, Ms. Rooda Al Qebaisi, Ms. Salama Al Badr, Ms. Haya Muftah and Ms. Jiskala Khalayli, QBWA Executive Director
In her official speech during the forum, Mrs. Aisha Al-Fardan thanked the Federation of Chambers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Federation of Saudi Chambers and the Jeddah Chamber for their kind invitation to the Qatari Businesswomen Association to participate in the fifth edition of the Gulf Businesswomen’s Forum and expressed her keenness to participate in all upcoming editions.
Mrs. Aisha also spoke about the mandate of the Qatari Businesswomen Association, which aims at improving the role of women and their participation in the economic and social development in the State of Qatar and said “QBWA acts as a platform for enabling business and professional women from various sectors in Qatar to participate in the economic development through different initiatives” she continued “perhaps the last initiative launched by the association is one of the most important steps we have taken to highlight the role of Qatari women, the “100 Qatari women” initiative, aims at introducing unique examples of Qatari women and creating a platform that allows them and all women in Qatar to exchange experiences, support and inspire the younger generations
Mrs. Aisha also praised the significant economic and dynamic development witnessed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, noting that hosting the forum in Jeddah reflects the wise vision of the organizers, as it provides an opportunity for all participants to know more about the potential opportunities it offers.
QBWA Vice Chairman, Mrs. Aisha Al-Fardan, concluded her speech by inviting everyone to visit Qatar to explore the attractive investment environment and enjoy the many incentives offered by the country, in order to enhance joint cooperation and develop bilateral relations, especially after Qatar’s success in organizing an exceptional version of the World Cup 2023 and its success in turning it into a World Cup for all Arabs, and organizing a tournament that met all the standards and added a lot to the World Cup tournaments, and provided a unique opportunity to change many perceptions about the Gulf region and the Middle East, through efforts that lasted more than 12 years since Doha won the World Cup organization file.
It is worth mentioning that the forum had highlighted the role of Gulf women in economic development, and the efforts and initiatives of businesswomen in the GCC countries, while addressing the challenges they face as well, in light of the unlimited support that women in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries receive from Gulf leaders, and which contributed to the success of Gulf women
The forum sessions also focused on the esteemed position that women have reached in the GCC countries in general, and the businesswomen who enjoy great support from the GCC leaders, which enabled them to achieve great successes; In addition to topics related to investment and economy, creating strategic partnerships between businesswomen in the Gulf countries, and reviewing studies in developing local and Gulf investments for businesswomen.
