Princess Basma Attends AWLI 'Advancing Women Leaders' Training

Arab women leaders 'take the next step' through training - Princess Basma highlights importance of empowerment

11/09/2009

The Jordan Times 

Dead Sea (Petra) - Arab women leaders highlighted strides in changing societal misconceptions surrounding women decision-makers in a conference which concluded on Sunday. HRH Princess Basma, president of the Jordanian National Commission for Women (JNCW), stressed the importance of women's empowerment to assume leading positions in various sectors at the conference, titled, "Advancing Women Leaders". Having women in leadership positions increases the community's confidence in their capabilities and changes society's stereotypical perceptions of women, the Princess said while addressing attendees on Saturday. During the conference, held by the Arab Women Leaders Training Institute (AWLTI), training sessions were held to empower women in several areas such as public relations and the media, crisis management, grant and proposal writing, advanced legislative drafting, human resource management, office administration and project management. Underlining the importance of the training, Princess Basma said the conference comes as a step to boost Arab women's participation in public life and increase their chances of assuming leadership positions in various fields. JNCW Secretary General Asma Khader, who attended a training session, expressed pride in Jordanian women's accomplishments and highlighted the commission's efforts to increase the participation of women in public life. She referred to amendments to legislation to facilitate women's entry to decision-making positions and the elimination of all forms of discrimination. At the opening session, Tami Longaberger, chairperson of the AWLTI governing board, introduced Princess Basma as a model for successful Arab women, underlining ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality on the local, regional and international levels. Eight parliamentarians, 14 civil servants and 14 young leaders from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan attended the conference.