Her Excellency, Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of the General Women's Union, affirmed that Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation "Mother of the Nation", has spared no effort to support and empower women in various parts of the world, and to overcome all the obstacles to support their development path and achieve high ranks in all fields and sectors.

This was stated in regards to the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak's to send a collection of in-kind gifts to be distributed to the United Nations women's peacekeepers in Africa, which will begin to be distributed from the United Republic of Tanzania through a number of countries in Southern Africa, within the framework of Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak's Women, Peace and Security Initiative, launched by Her Highness through the UN Women program to train women to work in the military sector and peacekeeping, sponsored by the UAE government and hosted by the Khawla Bint Al Azwar School in Abu Dhabi. In a noble gesture of Her Highness, a symbol of generosity and humanity, to provide the basic requirements for a decent life for the world's women. It was decided that this contribution will first take place in Dar es-Salaam, Tanzania on the 15^th of February 2021, in coordination with UN Women Liaison Office in the United Arab Emirates represented by Dr Moza Al Shehhi, The Executive Director and Mrs. Amina Mohamed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations with the peacekeeping forces in South Africa.

The General Secretary of the General Women's Union said that her highness’s hands are always extended to those who are near and distant, to cultivate in every land the value of her unlimited contribution to all women around the world, noting that Her Highness’s directives are intended to build women's capabilities, advance their role, and provide the necessary support for them in all aspects of safety and security. From her noble belief in providing all means to involve women in peace-keeping operations, to increase the number of women qualified to work in the military sector, to create networks to support them around the world, and to give them the ability to perform their duty towards her homeland and others in various parts of the world.

Al-Suwaidi indicated that Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak's initiative to empower women in peace and security has achieved unprecedented achievements within its two years of its establishment, especially after the success of the first phase of the program in training a group of Arab women, before the launch of the second phase of the program in Training of a group of women in Africa and Asia on peacekeeping operations, which led to pivotal progress for the UAE's growing role in this important international file, as the initiative is keen to achieve the strategic goals of Security Council Resolution 1325.

Her Excellency Al-Rym bint Abdullah Al-Falasy, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, said that the efforts of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak and her continuous support for women at the local and international levels are appreciated, adding that her Highness is remarkably striving for the advancement of women regardless of their position to empower them and to be active partners in all aspects, and that this initiative is one among the countless initiatives of her highness in supporting humanitarian causes.

 Al-Falasy also mentioned that the UAE had previously signed a memorandum of understanding with UN Women in New York, to implement a training program for a group of women in Africa and Asia on peacekeeping operations, after the success it had achieved in implementing the first phase of the program in training a group of Arab women. The UAE is considered the first country to undertake this distinguished effort due to its long record in the field of supporting women and providing aid and humanitarian assistance to any needy person in many regions of the world.  Her Excellency indicated that the UAE emphasizes the importance role of women in developing and strengthening international peace and security plans, as women in the security and military sectors make a realistic and tangible contribution to maintaining the safety and security of families and resolving conflicts in local communities.

Al-Falasy affirmed the UAE’s permanent commitment to support women, peace, security and the empowerment of women to provide women workers in the field of peacekeeping and the security sector with the necessary skills, and this is what we see represented by the ground of reality and expansion to include women from Africa and Asia.

Al-Falasi emphasized the important role of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority for donating a set of women's supplies and gifts and coordinating the delivery of the shipment, which reflects the Authority’s contribution to strengthen solidarity and cooperation to provide humanitarian aid to those who deserve it in all parts of the world, given the distinguished relations it has with countries and humanitarian, regional and international organizations. Al Falasi has also expressed her gratitude and appreciation to the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments for its donation of large number of the Holy Quran.

The United Arab Emirates Ambassador to Tanzania, His Excellency Khalifa Abdulrahman Al Marzouqi handed-over to the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, a large consignment of essential commodities to support women in peacekeeping at the Peacekeeping Training Centre in Kunduchi, Dar es Salaam. The consignment was received by the Minister of Defence and National Service, Honorable Elias John Kwandikwa who was accompanied by other senior government officials and senior officers from the Tanzania Peoples’ Defence Forces (TPDF). The consignment contains in-kind gifts from H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation. Through her commitment and contributions to the advancement of the rights of women and girls at a global level,

In his remarks, Ambassador AbdulRahman Al Marzouqi said Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak and the People of UAE recognize Tanzania as a true Champion for gender equality and the empowerment of women as demonstrated by the leadership of a woman Vice President, Her Excellency Mama Samia Suluhu Hassan. “Many countries in the world look up to Tanzania for being one of the very few countries with a woman occupying such a powerful position. It shows a high level of confidence that Tanzania has in the leadership of women, Through her commitment to advancing the inclusion and equal participation of women in male-dominated sectors, including in peace and security sectors, he explains that Her Highness, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, recognised the important role played by women in peacekeeping in Tanzania.  “In the last 20 years, Tanzania has been one the leading countries contributing troops for peacekeeping operations, and these officers include women who work in some of the toughest countries in conflict. The consignment is one of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s way of appreciating the work by women in peacekeeping, to encourage them and thank them for promoting peace in the world.”

And on this occasion, Dr Mouza Al Shehhi, Director of the UN Women Liaison Office for the GCC, mentioned that ‘Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is committed to the welfare to women everywhere, especially women who work to bring peace to their communities and around the world within the UN peacekeeping forces. These extraordinary women have Her Highness’ unwavering support. Perhaps her patronage of a global training program to build the capacities of women in the military and peacekeeping sector, which bears the name of Her Highness, is the best evidence of her interest to this important case.

The initiative also contributes to achieving the strategic objectives of Security Council Resolution 1325, which emphasizes the importance of the effective and equal participation of women as an effective force in establishing peace and maintaining security by particularly focusing on providing the necessary training for women cadres.

This pioneering training program, which achieved unprecedented successes and accomplishments within its two years of establishment, has gained the appreciation of the United Nations as the first of its kind in the world where women from brotherly and friendly countries are trained on military action, which demonstrates the UAE's support in empowering women in all sectors. And its significant contributions to the advancement to the women, peace and security agenda. Mostly due to the participation of women in conflict resolution and peace building leads to peace for longer periods, which entails increasing the effectiveness of security forces and deepens their knowledge and understanding of gender equality and women's rights.

He attended the gift-receiving event

1. Honorable Elias John Kwandikwa – Minister of Defence and National Service.


2. His Excellency Mr. Zlatan Milisic – UN Resident Coordinator


3. Her Excellency Ms. Hodan Addou – The UN Women Representative.


4. Mboni Mgaza – Director for Gender.


5. Macocha Tembele – Acting Director for Multilateral Cooperation.


6. Liutenant General Yacoub Hassan Mohamed – The Chief of Staff of the Tanzania Defence Force.


7. Ambassador Liberata Mulamula - Member of the United Nations Secretary General’s Sixth Peace building Fund advisory Group.


8. Members of the Women, Peace and Security Pillar of the African Women Leaders’ Network for Tanzania.

Facts:

• The UN Women Liaison Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was inaugurated in Abu Dhabi in 2016, under Her patronage, and in partnership with the General Women's Union.


• A memorandum of understanding was signed between the government of the UAE and UN Women in 2018, during its two sessions, 357 Arab, African and Asian women from 17 countries were trained, in support of Security Council Resolution No. 1325, and guided by the vision of Her Highness the Mother of the Emirates on empowering women in our region and around the world in all sectors.


• The first session of the training program was held in January 2019 with the participation of 134 Arab women from 7 countries, and after the success of the first session of the program, it was agreed between the UAE and UN Women to expand the scope of participation to include countries from Africa and Asia in an unprecedented initiative in the history of the international organization.


• In January 2020, the second session began with the participation of 223 women from 11 African, Asian and Arab countries, all of whom completed the training in April 2020.