Partners
PARTNERSHIPS TO POWER PROGRESS
AREAS OF COLLABORATION
Policy toolkits and guidelines
Roundtables, workshops, and knowledge exchanges
Research and benchmarking reports
Representing the UAE at global platforms
Gender-responsive laws and legislations
DRIVING GENDER BALANCE THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
In collaboration with the World Bank, the UAE Gender Balance Council has launched the UAE Gender Balance Centre of Excellence. The Centre has recently organized several regional knowledge-exchange initiatives, connecting the public and private sectors to drive practical, evidence-based change. The partnership also focuses on reviewing the national legal framework on gender balance by assessing current practices and providing global benchmarks to support continuous improvement.
Under the “GCC Knowledge Exchange Workshop on Women’s Economic Empowerment,” the Centre brings together regional policymakers and gender-balance leaders, alongside World Bank experts, to exchange reform insights and strengthen women’s economic participation across the region. The Centre also convened the “Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value” workshop, which explored legal and institutional frameworks, job-evaluation tools, pay-equity consultation mechanisms, and practical measures to close gender pay gaps.
As a member of the Global Alliance for Equality and a knowledge partner of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the UAE Gender Balance Council contributes to shaping progressive gender-balance legislation and fostering strategic partnerships with the private sector. These efforts support national gender balance goals and help address key challenges facing both men and women.
Through this collaboration, the Council regularly participates in global platforms, such as the Annual Meeting in Davos, and takes part in international councils focused on care, gender parity, and related policy areas. Together, we have organised several specialised working sessions, including “Gender Balance Circles,” which most recently examined the importance of care work and models for quantifying paid and unpaid care in the UAE. These global alliances strengthen the Council’s role in advancing evidence-based policies, promoting international best practice, and driving deeper public-private collaboration to accelerate gender balance.
The UAE Gender Balance Council maintains a strong and longstanding collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to advance gender equality through evidence-based policy and practical tools. Together, we co-developed the UAE Gender Balance Guidelines, a comprehensive framework that helps organisations integrate gender balance into governance, workplace practices, and decision-making processes.
As part of this partnership, the Council has participated in multiple OECD global and regional events, contributing insights on policy design, workplace gender balance, and the UAE’s reform journey. Joint workshops and technical sessions have supported the alignment of national policies with leading international standards, while creating platforms for knowledge exchange and global best-practice sharing. Through its active engagement with the OECD, the Council continues to strengthen the UAE’s position as a regional and global model for innovative, evidence-driven gender-balance policymaking.
The UAE Gender Balance Council works closely with the United Nations through regular participation in key platforms, including the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), CEDAW and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). Through this engagement, the Council highlights the UAE’s progress in strengthening gender equality legislation and advancing women’s social, economic and political participation, while supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global framework for inclusive and sustainable development, with a particular focus on Goal 5: Gender Equality.
As part of this commitment, the Council launched the SDG 5 Gender Balance Pledge, a flagship initiative that mobilises more than 80 private-sector entities to advance women’s leadership, strengthen workplace policies and deliver measurable progress on gender balance. The Pledge translates global commitments into practical action, reinforcing the UAE’s contribution to the UN agenda while driving impact across both government and the private sector.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GUIDES, TOOLKITS AND REPORTS CREATED WITH OUR PARTNERS
THE SDG 5 PLEDGE: PRIVATE SECTOR DRIVING GENDER BALANCE
Through the Pledge, UAE-based companies commit to practical, measurable actions that align with national priorities and international best practices. More than 80 companies have joined to date, reflecting growing private-sector momentum in support of gender balance.
Eligibility for participation requires organisations to have 20 or more mid-to-senior-level employees, as classified by the International Labour Organization (ILO) under the ISCO-08 framework.
“The partnership between the UAE Gender Balance Council and the private sector is vital to national progress. Our wise leadership has always believed - and consistently shown - that sustainable growth and prosperity require strong, strategic collaboration between government and private entities. We take pride in the achievements of the many companies that have joined the SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge and in their continued progress toward meeting and surpassing its goals.”
-Mona Al Marri
Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council
Companies interested in signing the pledge should have 20+ mid to senior staff that meet the International Labour Organisation definition
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