Arab international women's forum leads with new initiative

The Arab International Women’s Forum launches a new initiative, the first of its kind, at the European Parliament in Brussels to assess and evaluate the challenges still facing women in the Arab world who are still excluded from the economic mainstream as well as explore opportunities for increasing participation in the labour force. In two-linked conferences – the first in Brussels in April and the second in Cairo at the League of Arab States in June – the Arab International Women’s Forum will gather high-level policy makers and business leaders, representatives from leading international institutions, academics, media and members of civil society from the Arab world and Europe to discuss the status of women and economic development.

In an I nterview with
Mrs Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, Chairman,
Arab International Women’s Forum, she said :
The Arab International Women’s Forum will host this initiative as part of the 2005 AIWF programme, Women as Engines of Economic Growth in the Arab World. The first conference, Ten Years After the Barcelona Process: Empowering Women as a Catalyst for Economic Development, will be held 7-8 April 2005 at the European Parliament in Brussels with the valued co-operation of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the League of Arab States, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, UK, and the World Bank marking the anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.
ference Themes
In five plenary sessions, conference participants will be able to debate and prioritize recommendations identified by panellists around timely and crucial themes relating to women and economic development. Guest speakers will identify and explore issues around:
-- women’s role in business life and in creating small and medium size businesses; challenges still facing women in the economy, future prospects for public policy in creating new opportunities and successful schemes now in place in the Arab and European economies
-- business start-ups, obstacles to entrepreneurs and best practices
-- education and skills development -- training programmes in place and those that need to be expanded.
-- women in corporate life -- issues and solutions
-- public policy strategies that enable women to be more effective in the business sector in the Arab region and Europe.

About the Arab International Women’s Forum
The Arab International Women’s Forum is a non-profit organisation established in 2001 based in London. It brings growing numbers of influential business and professional women in the 22 Arab countries together with leading women in the United Kingdom, Europe and internationally. Through AIWF members have the opportunity to widen key contacts, foster cooperation, enhance their business, marketing and investment skills and increase their knowledge.