The Arab International Women's Forum (AIWF) and the American University in Cairo (AUC) announced that as part of AUC's centennial celebrations, they will jointly hold a major conference dubbed Women as Engines of Economic Growth. The conference focuses on empowering women innovators, entrepreneurs, executives and educators towards fulfilment of the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the MENA Region in Cairo, Egypt on 17 September. The conference will be held in partnership with PepsiCo Egypt as lead conference partner, and the PwC Middle East as conference supporting partner. Arab and international women leaders will share perspectives on opportunities and challenges for women's leadership and examine current and emerging future of work barriers to women's participation in the economy, sustainability, political life and public service, in Egypt, the broader MENA region, and internationally. Women as Engines of economic Growth will bring into focus the vital contributions of women leaders to economic growth across the MENA states, and the importance of supporting their development in key positions in public institutions and companies, which is a key national priority in Egypt. The conference will therefore elaborate on critical themes around women's leadership in the economy, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises' (SME) growth, on corporate boards and in family business, executive leadership, innovation, and economic development. The programme will also recognise women's valuable contributions to the rural and agricultural sectors and identify successful strategies to strengthen women's engagement in political life and public service, whilst emphasising the vital role of women in achieving legislative reform and gender balance in policy formation. The conference will conclude with key reflections on future of work challenges and opportunities in the MENA region and globally. Founder and Chairperson of the AIWF, Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani, said: "Women as Engines of Economic Growth comes at a pivotal time for women leaders in the MENA states and in Egypt, when we are witnessing greater involvement of women in the economy and in public office. We are all exceptionally proud of women's achievements in these and all spheres, and we see their successes as key to addressing the empowerment challenges that remain. This is why AIWF is leading on this initiative: to bring into focus the unprecedented opportunities for women to lead as drivers of economic change and growth in the Arab world and elaborate on how to develop those opportunities by working together to specifically address and overcome the challenges that remain. In doing this, we can open doors even wider for women's economic participation across the region."
