The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council supported the WE Empower MENA Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit, hosted by the U.S. Mission to the U.A.E. from Sept. 17 -19 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah. The WE Empower Summit brought together high-level policy makers, female entrepreneurs, private sector companies, and industry leaders to discuss strategies to promote women’s economic empowerment and showcase programs making an impact.

U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council leadership attended the opening ceremony of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit on Tuesday, September 17th at New York University – Abu Dhabi. The opening ceremony included remarks from The Honorable Martina Strong, U.S. Ambassador to the U.A.E.; H.E. Yousef Al Otaiba, U.A.E. Ambassador to the United States; H.E. Mariam Almheiri, Head of the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court of the U.A.E. and Group CEO at 2PointZero; H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for the COP28 Presidency, ​President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Managing ​Director of Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, and WiSER ​Advisory Council Member; and Lyndsey Merrill, Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior ​Director for Energy and Investment.

U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council President Mr. Danny Sebright moderated a panel discussion on Thursday, September 19th at the St. Regis Hotel, Business Bay, titled “From Apollo to Artemis – Women Highfliers.” Amal Osman, Vice President – International Business Development at Collins Aerospace, highlighted her company’s initiatives to better involve women in the aerospace industry, particularly in partnership with Khalifa University, and the importance of facilitating public-private partnerships and partnering with academia for business development in the aerospace industry. Madison Marsh, Miss America 2024 and a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, spoke about her inspiration to pursue a career in aviation and how her pursuit of a career in STEM opened doors to her current interest in medicine and patient care policy. Aisha Al Owais, Head of the Space A.I. Lab at the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences & Technology (SAASST), discussed the advancement of the U.A.E.’s research and development ecosystem to support women in STEM and highlighted the significant work women programmers are doing at SAASST.

The Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit concluded on Thursday, September 19 with a gala dinner at the St. Regis Hotel, Business Bay, hosted by the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council. Mr. Danny Sebright gave opening remarks, highlighting the importance of continued advocacy in various sectors to empower women. Robert Rains, the newly appointed U.S. Consul General for Dubai and the Northern Emirates, thanked everyone for their support and partnership for the Summit over the last few days. He outlined key highlights and themes across the three days of programming and asked for continued efforts towards supporting women’s economic empowerment across industry.

Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young, Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics and Chief Scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), spoke about her work at the USDA and the advancement of agricultural research, innovation, and data. She noted that the accomplishments of women in the field of agriculture in the MENA region continue to prepare the next generation for collective progress. She also announced the launch of the MyFood Story program, which aims to promote the power of culinary diplomacy. The U.A.E. edition of the program will focus on the bilateral Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate.

Madison Marsh, Miss America 2024 and 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, sat down with Mr. Danny Sebright in a fireside chat and spoke about her pursuit of aviation and the ways she is leveraging her platform as the reigning Miss America to promote STEM education and career paths for women and girls. She advised the participants to pursue their passions and give back to the communities from which they came.

For more information about the Business Council’s programming during the WE Empower MENA Regional Women’s Economic Empowerment Summit, please contact Caitlin Cottrell at ccottrell@usuaebusiness.org