(MENAFN- Bensirri PR) Kuwait, 05 June 2022 -- Equate Petrochemical, Gulf Bank, Limak Insaat Kuwait S.P.C., the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK), and Zain Kuwait today announced the establishment of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Platform Kuwait (KWEEP) to support the growth and advancement of women in the workplace. The platform aims to promote the adoption of real and sustainable policies on various topics related to women empowerment in the private sector, especially on topics of recruitment, retention, and leadership in Kuwait's private sector.

The platform was announced by the founding members during a press conference held at the United Nations House in Kuwait, with attendance of Dr.Khaled Mahdi Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development and H.E. Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak, the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Kuwait.

KWEEP will operate under the leadership of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development (GSSCPD) and the Women's Research and Studies Center (WRSC) at Kuwait University. Supported by UN Women and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the platform is also formally recognized as being in line with New Kuwait Vision 2035 and the country’s efforts to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The platform aims to help facilitate collaborative, gender-focused initiatives in the private sector that target female career development and visibility among member companies. Signatories will work together to discuss, define, and accomplish particular key performance indicators (KPIs) and gender-focused targets, as well as commit to quantifiable goals that would economically empower women in Kuwait's private sector.

KWEEP will operate under four main pillars:
1. Collaborate to create change in companies and the community.
2. Share best practices that empower women in the private sector.
3. Support career development programs for women in the private sector
4. Commit to doable, measurable actions towards women’s economic development.

The event began with opening remarks by Women’s Mentor Forum Founder, Ms. Besma Al-Qassar, followed by key statements from GSSCPD’s Dr. Khalid Mahdi, WRSC’s Dr. Lubna Al-Kazi, the UNDP’s Ms. Hideko Hadzialic, UN Women’s Ms. Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, and Limak’s Ms. Ebru Özdemir, before concluding with the MoU signing and a fireside chat among the founding signatories. Five of Kuwait’s key private sector companies pledged their support to the platform during the event, which included: Equate’s Eng. Zainab Haider, Gulf Bank’s Ms. Salma Al-Hajjaj, Limak’s Ms. Sevda Erensel on behalf of Ms. Ebru Özdemir, NBK’s Mr. Emad Al-Ablani on behalf of Ms. Shaikha Al-Bahar, and Zain’s Ms. Eaman Al Roudhani.

Limak Holding Chairperson, Ms. Ebru Özdemir, said:
“Since starting its operations in Kuwait in 2015, Limak has been implementing a strategic plan to invest in the development of local human capital; and we are doing our best to transfer our experience, expertise and knowledge, create local job opportunities for Kuwaiti youth, and train and qualify young men and women through education and empowerment initiatives. Young Kuwaiti engineers are involved in our projects and we invest in their training so that they can directly contribute to the future of their country. We have sought to uplift young Kuwaiti women through our projects here and our program, Engineer Girls of Kuwait.”

“Limak’s initiatives will only continue to grow through strategic and nation-wide human capital development initiatives that have been planned for Kuwait over the next few years and beyond. This brings me to why we are gathered today, as we celebrate the official launch of the KWEEP. We are looking for you all to support this initiative that aims to empower women working in Kuwait’s private sector. I am grateful to our Strategic Partners for their trust in this Platform, and support to take our efforts beyond the classroom and put them into the workforce. As a final word, I would like to welcome any company operating in Kuwait in joining us on this Platform to support Kuwait’s women in the private sector”, she added.

National Bank of Kuwait Group Deputy CEO, Ms. Shaikha Al-Bahar, said:
“We, at NBK, fully support all initiatives and efforts related to promoting women's economic empowerment in Kuwait, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030 and Kuwait Vision 2035. Supporting this platform comes amid rising optimism that parity and equality have become a focal point, as it recently started to attract more interest and gained additional support, especially at a time when the world needs women’s participation and their alliance with men as equal partners to face the challenges ahead.”

“NBK is committed to establishing the culture of women's empowerment across the entire Group. This is clearly reflected through female board representation both in Kuwait, and NBK’s international subsidiaries. Additionally, we are fully committed to advancing gender equality and view it as a key element of our talent development and management. NBK adopted numerous procedures and measures aimed at promoting women’s full and effective participation in leadership positions by providing appropriate guidance and opportunities to further develop their career paths and promote professional growth. Supporting women to reach their full potential has always been one of NBK’s top priorities, with women who occupy leadership and supervisory positions accounting for over 30% of NBK’s workforce by the end of 2021”, she added.

Zain Kuwait Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Eaman Al Roudhan, said:
“Without a doubt, and as proven by many studies, women empowerment and gender inclusion have shown to push economic growth and enhance socio-economic outcomes. Naturally, dismissing this issue will eventually restrict growth and limit development within communities. It was a natural step for us to be the first company in Kuwait to join the UN’s Women Empowerment Principles (WEPs) years ago. Today, we are thrilled to be a founding member of the Women Economic Empowerment Platform. This step came as part of our strong belief in the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals by making sure our strategies and initiatives were well-aligned with the 17 goals. In 2018, Zain signed the pledge for women empowerment, right after launching our own WE program for women empowerment across the Group’s opcos in 2017. The step reflected our support to the talents, creativity, and limitless energies of women in the Kuwaiti community."

“Since 2018, females in top executive leadership positions in Zain Kuwait grew from 17% to 40%, while maintaining 21% of females in senior leadership. This did not happen by chance, but due to our growing succession management practices in place. The size of female top executive leadership is nearly quadruple that of senior leadership, and we aim to grow this number to 25% by 2025. With the nation’s track towards digital transformation, I see a bright future for women and for all, especially for the younger generation that ambitiously seeks to offer an added value to the community, nation, and the entire world. The speed in which we have to adapt to the changes around us has become familiar, and the next generation of young people adapts to that speed very efficiently. This generation proved that it is well-capable of offering bright ideas, and even creating new standards", she added.

Gulf Bank General Manager of Human Resources, Ms. Salma Al-Hajjaj, said:
“Supporting women in the workplace and empowering them has been a longstanding commitment at Gulf Bank. So much so that women’s empowerment has taken center stage when it comes to setting future strategies or designing inclusive policies. Today at Gulf Bank the female work force represents 45% of our human capital and is growing. Last year the board and executive management agreed to remove all gender biased statements from our policy and provide equal pay and benefits for males and females; including extending benefits to families of female staff. Hence female employees at Gulf Bank receive all the same benefits as their male counterparts. This is part of our holistic approach to female empowerment in the workforce which at Gulf Bank we believe must support sustainable, inclusive and equitable growth.”

Ms. Al-Hajjaj emphasized that the private sector plays a crucial role in creating an environment in which women can more meaningfully participate in the economy and that Gulf Bank has set concrete targets to achieve this. “We regularly hold workshops, seminars and focus sessions to discuss the topic of Female Empowerment as part of our WOW program (Women of Wisdom), which was established in 2015 to address the very issues and topics we are exploring today and set objectives that will support women in the private sector achieve their full potential.”

Equate’s IT Administration & Planning Group Leader, Eng. Zainab Haider, said:
“At EQUATE Group, we are proud of our partnership with the Women Economic Empowerment Platform, whose mission is to educate, collaborate, and support women in the workplace. Our participation and contribution reconfirm the Group's commitment to growing Kuwaiti women's employment and advancing them to leadership positions. This is a component of our sustainability plan, which is aligned with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Kuwait's New Kuwait 2035 vision.”

Women’s Research and Studies Center at the College of Social Sciences at Kuwait University Director, Dr. Lubna Alkazi, said:
"Kuwait is the first country in the region where the private sector has come together to establish a platform for women’s economic empowerment with the Principles of Women’s Economic Empowerment and Sustainable development Goal 5 as a framework reference. By the inclusion and enhancement of women in their organizations, they will not only have better returns but they will also optimize their human capital. They will inspire others in the Private sector to follow their examples."

UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States region, Ms. Susanne Mikhail Eldhagen, said:
"Today I congratulate the founding members of the Kuwait Women’s Economic Empowerment Platform on the creation of this Platform. A truly inspirational example of how to advance Kuwait’s development priorities and Sustainable Development Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls."

Any private sector company operating in Kuwait, regardless of industry or size, is invited to join Women’s Economic Empowerment Platform Kuwait as long as they are committed to implementing gender diversity programs and activities that economically empower women. In addition, all members of the Platform must be a Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) signatory. Founded by UN Women and the UN Global Compact in 2010, the WEPs are a set of guiding principles that promote gender equality and women's empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. There are currently 38 WEP signatories in Kuwait and 138 across the GCC.

MENAFN15062022002896002148ID1104377983