Soroptimist Kuwait holds ‘Perspectives Gender Equality’ symposium

Soroptimist Kuwait was pleased to hold a symposium entitled ‘Perspectives on Gender Equality’ under the Patronage of H.E. Hend Al-Subaih, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Minister of State for Economic Affairs. The event took place on 4 March at the National Library of Kuwait.

The name Soroptimist means ‘best for women’ and the Kuwait chapter was chartered in October 2015 by Soroptimist International of Europe (SI) and was further recognized as a non-governmental organization by the Kuwaiti government in August 2016 under the name Kuwait Soroptimist Society for Societal Development. Soroptimist Kuwait joins over 3,000 Soroptimist clubs located in over 135 countries and territories working together to educate, empower, and enable opportunities for women and girls”

Soroptimist is a worldwide service organization for women with general consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as well as official relations with several UN agencies and technical bodies. Soroptimsts also have a network of permanent representatives at all of the major UN centers. 

H.E. Hend Al-Subaih addressed the gathering saying, “Kuwaiti women have gained a lot of their rights, and based on my own experience, I can say that they got a lot. Women in Kuwait are now handling leading positions in the public and the private sectors; they have also succeeded in achieving the highest levels of education. The Ministry of Social Affairs will be organizing, in collaboration with NGOs, a series of educational sessions in the near future. We have stopped applying the laws that hinder the empowerment of women until we explore the loopholes and we shall study the necessary reforms.”

The ‘Perspectives on Gender Equality’ Symposium discussed local and international implications of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals with regard to women and girls.  The three goals underpinning the event were: ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being at all ages; working to achieve gender equality and empowering women and girls of all ages; and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

The event was introduced by Ms. Laila Al-Qatami, Assistant General Manager for Corporate Communications at Gulf Bank, who noted: “Gulf Bank is pleased  to support Soroptimist Kuwait as part of its corporate social responsibility program commitment to women’s empowerment. The work they do on behalf of women and girls will have a positive impact both today and for future generations.”

Then, Dr. Stacey Al-Ghawas, Soroptimist Kuwait President discussed the importance of working together saying: “The ‘butterfly effect’ is a theory wherein one small change can result in much larger systemic changes.  The Soroptimist network of clubs around the world is evidence of that theory at work, because the work of all the different clubs put together gives women and girls a  truly global voice.”

This was followed by an interesting keynote presentation by Ms. Anne Simon, Former Executive Director of Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE). Ms. Simon gave an overview of various challenges countries around the world have in trying to close gender inequalities and eliminate discrimination. She also shed light on initiatives that have been successful in different parts of the world.

Then, local experts including Dr. Ghanem Al-Najjar, Professor of Political Science and Dr. Lubna Al-Kazi, Associate Professor and Director of the Women’s Research and Studies Center, joined Ms. Simon to discuss the ‘Role of Civil Society and How Women Can Effectively Contribute and Support their Governments.’

This was followed by a panel discussion entitled, ‘Facing our Challenges, Identifying Our Needs.’ Dr. Nowall Al-Sayegh moderated the discussed with panelists: Dr. Mona Al-Khawari, Dr. Jehad Harmi, Dr. Joanne Hands, and Ms. Simon.  The group also identified and discussed local initiatives to address global issues, answering numerous questions from the audience.

A workshop was also held to emerge with concrete strategies and responses to issues facing women in the workplace. During the workshop Mrs. Balsam Al Ayoub gave a presentation on the importance of removing barriers and stereotype for women in sports.

The sponsors of the event included: Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs; General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development; Gulf Bank; ATC-Advanced Technology Company; IKEA; Images General Trading; Lazurd; Ibtikar Consulting; and Balsam International.

To learn more about the Soroptimist International Club of Kuwait, please visit their social media accounts SoroptimistKuwait.  To learn more about Soroptimist International, see their website at: www.soroptimistinternational.org and www.soroptimisteurope.org.