SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT - UAE Interact

252 U N I T E D A R A B E M I R AT E S Y E A R B O O K 2 0 0 8Sheikha Fatima hasunveiled an initiative tolaunch a WorldwideFamily Forum (WFF) asa platform forpromoting familyvalues, as well as theculture of peaceful coexistenceamongnations at regional andinternational levels.First ladies of the Arab world(L-R) Leila Zine el-Abidine ofTunisia, Suzanne Mubarak ofEgypt, Queen Rania of Jordan,Sheikha Sabika Al Khalifa ofBahrain and Andree Lahoud ofLebanon pose for a pictureduring the third meeting ofArab Women Organisation inAbu Dhabi, 27 May 2007.Family life has been a major focus of Sheikha Fatima’s workand in 2006 she established the Sheikha Fatima bint MubarakAward for the Distinguished Woman in the Arab Family tohonour distinguished pioneers and to highlight the distinctive rolethat Arab women play in the family and society.Sheikha Fatima has also unveiled an initiative to launch aWorldwide Family Forum (WFF) as a platform for promotingfamily values, as well as the culture of peaceful co-existence amongnations at regional and international levels. Sheikha Fatima hascalled on active family organisations worldwide to meet in AbuDhabi and evolve a mechanism to implement the initiative.During 2007, Sheikha Fatima was awarded the InternationalFamily Organisation Medal for her pioneering role in humanitarianaffairs and her strong support for the stability of the family,locally, regionally and at an international level.Sheikha Fatima also assumed the role of Chairwoman of theArab Women’s Organisation (AWO) in 2007. Launched in March2003, the AWO seeks to achieve women's empowerment in theArab world and enhance their role within the family and society.The AWO, which groups the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Tunisia,Algeria, Sudan, Syria, Oman, Palestine, Lebanon, Libya, Egypt,Mauritania, Yemen and Jordan, also aims to address women'sissues in regional and international forums in order to raiseawareness of the situation of Arab women.During her two-year tenure as AWO's Chairwoman, SheikhaFatima will focus on the following issues: activating a mediacharter to improve the image of Arab women and counteractnegative stereotyping; encouraging dialogue among cultures;promoting peaceful co-existence; rejecting conflict and wars; andengendering strategic dialogue among Arab youth.The First Ladies of 15 Arab league member countries or theirrepresentatives participated in the AWO’s Higher Council meetingheld in Abu Dhabi on 27 May 2007. During the meeting the HigherCouncil launched the Overseas Arab Women network, which isfunded by Sheikha Fatima as part of her ongoing support foradvancing the status of Arab women and establishing strong linksbetween Arab women living overseas and their home countries.