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UAE Gender Balance Council Addressed RISE 2026

Delegates shared strategies for women's workforce representation at the international conference in Belgrade.

Updated on Oct. 7, 2026 in Women’s Issues

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The UAE Gender Balance Council participated in the RISE 2026 conference in Belgrade this week to exchange strategies for advancing women's participation in global leadership roles. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The UAE Gender Balance Council participated in the RISE 2026 conference in Belgrade to discuss global gender balance initiatives. Representatives attended high-level roundtables to exchange knowledge on advancing women in leadership.

Why it matters

The UAE aims to advance women's participation in development and decision-making by engaging in international forums to learn from global experiences. These collaborations help refine internal metrics used to measure institutional performance regarding gender balance.

The SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge seeks to reach 30% women's representation in middle and senior management by 2028 for later signatories. The UAE Gender Balance Index tracks institutional performance to evaluate these goals.

The players

Mona Al Marri

She serves as a representative for the UAE Gender Balance Council.

Mouza Mohammed Al Ghuwais Al Suwaidi

She represents the UAE Gender Balance Council at international events.

The details

During the conference, the UAE delegation held bilateral meetings with officials from Cyprus, Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, and Serbia. The event also highlighted domestic successes, noting that the Ministry of Economy and Tourism was recognized as the Best Federal Entity Supporting Gender Balance, while the Ministry of Interior was cited for the Best Gender-Balanced Work Environment.

Timeline

  1. The SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge was launched in 2022.

  2. The target year for the first cohort of the SDG 5 pledge was 2025.

  3. The RISE 2026 conference took place on 7 October 2026 in Belgrade.

  4. Later signatories of the SDG 5 pledge have until 2028 to reach their representation targets.

Roadmap

The UAE's participation in RISE 2026 aligns with the country's ongoing efforts to scale the SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge. This commitment bridges national policy goals with international standards to foster greater gender parity in corporate leadership roles.

For participating organizations, this initiative requires formal tracking of gender representation within middle and senior management roles to meet specific quotas. Adopting these standards often influences internal human resources policies and company-wide workplace culture strategies.

The takeaway

Global knowledge exchanges like RISE 2026 provide frameworks that help nations refine their internal metrics for workforce equity. Implementing structured pledges like SDG 5 helps organizations systematically address gaps in management representation.

What happens next

Later signatories of the SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge are expected to reach the 30% women's representation target in management positions by 2028.

Further reading

For more information on global gender policy developments, see the Women’s Issues section.

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Does international collaboration help improve gender balance policies in your country?