KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and other officials attend the inauguration ceremony of the International Conference on Women Leaders in Science and Technology. - KUNA

KUWAIT: The International Conference on Women Leaders in Science and Technology kicked off yesterday at the Arab Organization's headquarters. The event is patronized by Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahamd Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, represented by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, who was present at the inauguration session.

Speeches were addressed at the opening session by Dr Faiza Mohamamd Abdulmohsen Al-Kharafi, the president of the conference and board member of Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), US Ambassador to Kuwait Lawrence R Silverman, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Dr Celeste M Rohlfing, KFAS Director General Dr Adnan Shihab Eldin and President of the Jordanian Royal Scientific Society Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan.

It was attended by Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr Mohammad Abdulatif Al-Fares, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor and Minister of State for Economic Affairs Hind Al-Sebeeh, Director of His Highness the Prime Minister's Diwan Sheikha E'temad Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Also attending were senior state officials and Arab women leaders.

Women empowerment

Kuwaiti women empowerment is one of the objectives of Kuwait sustainable development strategy, said Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Dr Hind Al-Sebeeh. "Today we have seen Kuwaiti women serving as doctors and researchers and engineers at various quarters and academies namely Kuwait University," Sebeeh said in a statement to journalists on sidelines of the conference. The ministry and General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development support the Kuwaiti women in sciences, where aid is provided to female researchers, she added. Meanwhile, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education Dr Mohammad Al-Fares, also speaking on the convention margins, affirmed that Kuwait has made headways on the path for women empowerment at various levels.

Many Kuwaiti female citizens have occupied senior posts and specialized in technology, engineering and innovation. In the meantime, Dr Kharafi said in her statement at the event that the conferees would debate women leadership toward social and economic development. The United Nations, she added, has affirmed that objectives of the sustainable development for 2030 emphasize the need for empowering the woman and putting her on par with man. The convention deliberations focus on hindrances facing the women in various fields, propose solutions and incentives to enable the females make accomplishments, Dr Kharafi added.

Looming challenges

Ambassador Silverman, also addressing the conference, has asserted that the whole world nowadays needs full and effective participation of the women for facing looming challenges. Meanwhile, Dr Rohlfing told the conferees that the United Nations has adopted the issue of women empowerment and gender equality as some of the goals of the sustainable development till 2030. Shihab Eldin said a number of women involved in sciences are partaking in the three-day convention. Citing a UNESCO's report, he said proportion of female graduates from universities globally reached 53 percent, as compared to 37 percent in Arab countries. - KUNA