Praise for Arab businesswomen

A key conference addressing women’s right in the Arab world has concluded today. The conference called the New Arab Woman Forum (NAWF) began in Beirut on Friday, and featured more the 400 prominent figures from 16 countries across the region. The event, now in its sixth year of, is hosted every year to tackle the issues women face in the Arab world as well as to celebrate their achievements. Key figures at this year’s conference, titled “Unlocking the Potential of Arab Women Entrepreneurs”, included Waafa Sleiman, the wife of Lebanon’s president, as well as Leila El Solh, Vice Chairman of Alwaleed Bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation. In a speech during the event, Sleiman encouraged the growing role of Arab women in field such as business and leadership. “We shall be inspired by the unprecedented steps that have been accomplished in numerous fields. Indeed, women have proved that they are true partners in the business industry,” said Sleiman. Other speakers at the event included Lebanese businesswoman Rasha Khouri, CEO of luxury fashion site DIA-style.com, who said the event was key raising awareness around the positive things that women in the region are achieving. “Events like these are essential for pointing out the great things that women in the region are achieving. It’s very easy to focus on the difficulties that Arab women face, but this forum really takes pride in pushing past the negatives and saying ‘what can we achieve in the workplace?’ And the answer is a lot,” Khouri told Arabstoday. Khouri also believes that the NAWF is a great networking opportunity for budding young entrepreneurs in the region. “If you are an Arab woman from the region, then networking with other female professionals is a real confidence boost as well as a great way of making contacts that could help launch your business and expand your expertise,” said Khouri.