Derasat, APSA to hold workshop on ‘Women and Development in the Gulf’

The Bahrain Centre for Strategic, International, and Energy Studies (Derasat), in partnership with the American Political Science Association (APSA) in the MENA region, and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, will organise workshop titled ‘Women and Development in the Gulf’, gathering prominent experts in labour, higher education, and energy, 6-7 November 2019 at Derasat headquarters in Awali.

The workshop will coincide with several national celebrations marking Bahraini Women’s Day, and their contributions to development. The workshop aims to add value to objective discussions on the economic and social empowerment of women, and enhancing their different levels of participation.

The opening will include several presentations on economic development priorities, where experts will discuss the reality of Bahraini women’s participation, the most notable challenges and impediments to raising women’s contribution in the national economy, and the necessary mechanisms required for equal opportunities, especially in academic and professional circles.

Derasat Executive Director Katadah Zaman called the workshop, “an addition to the Kingdom’s efforts to better empower half the national human capital that we depend on as a true and sustainable resource”, adding that, “developing women’s capabilities and raising their profile is part of the overall human development in all advanced societies, and a high-priority national mission in the Kingdom of Bahrain.”

This workshop will present some of the latest research on women and development, and it will support and showcase the practices of some female experts from GCC countries. “They will hold constructive discussions with their counterparts from different countries, especially the United States,” he added. Mr Zaman also highlighted the anticipated recommendations on raising the profile of women’s contribution on various levels, calling for “further entrusting women in Arab societies to increase their effective input in building nations.”