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Dubai: Roughly 13 per cent of the companies in the Middle East are owned by women, according to a World Bank report.
Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank, argued that Arab women, given the right environment, could be successful entrepreneurs, influential political leaders, and formidable global business managers.
Pointing to the findings of a recent Bank report, he said, "While only 13 per cent of firms or companies in the Middle East are owned by women, there is no significant difference in terms of size, age, sector, exports, and foreign direct investment to those firms owned by men."
Representatives from both the public and private sector discussed the means to optimise the contribution of Arab women in the development of the region during the first US-based conference of the Arab International Women's Forum (AIWF), hosted by the World Bank Middle East North Africa in the US capital Washington DC recently.
The conference, titled 'Partners for Change: Realising the Potential of Arab Women in the Private and Public Sector,' drew participants from over 20 countries including the US, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East.
It gathered Arab and international policymakers in an attempt to stimulate dialogue aimed at removing roadblocks to women's gainful participation in Arab politics, economies and society.
Women entrepreneurs from the Middle East also gathered during the two-day conference to hear ministers including Dr Sharifa Khalfan Al Yahyai, Minister of Social Development in Oman, Hala Bseisu Lattouf, Minister of Social Development in Jordan, and Dr Huda Ali Al Ban, Minister of Human Rights in Yemen, talk about the gains women have made in the region.
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