Almas Jiwani to address Women as Engines of Economic Growth: Empowering women innovators, entrepreneurs, executives and educators at American University in Cairo, Egypt

CAIRO, Egypt, Sept. 19, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Almas Jiwani Foundation, represented by its CEO Almas Jiwani, will participate at the Women as Engines of Economic Growth conference in Cairo, contributing her expert insight on a key and highly interactive panel titled Women in public service and leadership: Towards gender parity in parliament and women’s inclusion in policy-making.

“As of December 2018, global participation rates of women in national-level parliaments stands at about 24%. Canada has achieved gender parity, while Rwanda, with around two-thirds women parliamentarians, is the highest-ranking country in the world with the most women in parliament. The trickle-down effect of increasing women representation in parliament is as you would expect; more women equals a more efficient, more democratic, more equitable, and more successful government.‘’ said Almas Jiwani, CEO of the Almas Jiwani Foundation.

“In the corporate world, we are making rather rapid strides in the right direction. The share of women in senior roles globally is increasing, and now 29% of senior management roles are held by women, the highest number ever on record. Around 87% of global businesses have at least one woman in a senior management role, however, almost half of them are human resource directors. If the proportion of women in senior leadership still differs by role, perhaps one of the limitations we have to overcome is the deep-rooted perception that women are less capable in critical leadership roles, which we all know to be a fallacy,” said Almas Jiwani.

The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) is proud to partner with the American University in Cairo (AUC) on Women as Engines of Economic Growth: Empowering women innovators, entrepreneurs, executives and educators towards fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals as part of AUC’s centennial celebrations. The AIWF / AUC conference will take place at the AUC New Cairo campus on 16-18 September 2019.

The Arab International Women’s Forum conference will examine and elaborate on key issues and challenges on women’s participation in business and the economy, in entrepreneurship and SME growth, on corporate boards and in executive leadership, innovation and economic development, engagement in political life and public service, and women’s leadership in regional family-owned businesses and their vital contributions to the rural and agricultural sectors.

Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, Founder and Chairperson of the Arab International Women’s Forum, said: “Women as Engines of Economic Growth comes at a pivotal time for women leaders in the MENA States and in Egypt, when we are witnessing greater involvement of women in the economy and in public office. We are all exceptionally proud of women’s achievements in these and all spheres, and we see their successes as key to addressing the empowerment challenges that remain.”

Mrs Al Kaylani continued: "We are delighted to welcome Almas Jiwani as a Guest Speaker at Women as Engines of Economic Growth and we look forward to her shared expertise on a key panel of the conference on promoting gender parity in parliaments, drawing from global best practices. Her work with women in this sphere in many parts of the world will lend valuable insight to the panel discussions from a truly international perspective.”

About the Almas Jiwani Foundation
The vision of the Almas Jiwani Foundation is to empower women, girls and marginalized communities through focused projects that directly address disparities in equality, education, entrepreneurship and energy rights. The Foundation aims to bridge inequalities through the fostering of relationships among the various actors and stakeholders in global issues, and to provide a platform for discourse and action.

About Arab International Women’s Forum
Based in London, AIWF is a non-profit development organisation focused on women’s development and youth empowerment. AIWF’s Annual Programmes have featured over 40 high-level international conferences since inception in 2001. AIWF works closely with a global network of corporate and institutional partners to promote and prioritise the engagement of women and youth towards finding innovative and actionable solutions to the multi-faceted and complex environmental, economic security, gender and developmental challenges the MENA region faces.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Almas Jiwani Foundation
Mehlika Yıldız, Communications
Toronto, Canada
[email protected]
www.almasjiwanifoundation.org

Arab International Women's Forum
Berkeley Square House, Berkeley Square,
London W1J 6BD, United Kingdom
[email protected]
www.aiwfonline.com