Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering and Coordinator of the Professional Diploma Program in Waste Management at the College of Education, Administrative and Technical Sciences at Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Dr. Sumaya Yusuf, participated in a workshop organized by the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies “Derasat” in cooperation with the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House. Entitled “Professional and Academic Diversity and its Role in Empowering Women in the Kingdom of Bahrain”, it was held at the headquarters of Derasat in Awali with the participation of a group of academics, researchers and entrepreneurs, reviewing successful diverse experiences of women in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The workshop focused on highlighting the important achievements made by Bahraini women in various sectors, and reviewing their contributions, which comprise an integral part of the development and prosperity of the country. The participants praised the endless support that women receive from His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. They also stressed the effectiveness of initiatives supporting women and their role in enhancing their status and contributions in various legislative, economic and social fields.
The workshop included discussions on topics related to the challenges and opportunities available to enhancing the role of women in entrepreneurship, economic opportunities, societal norms and family life, as well as the role of women in arts and culture. Dr. Sumaya Yusuf represented female leaders in the academic field, and participated as a speaker in the Leadership and Women session. She reviewed the most prominent opportunities, obstacles and challenges facing leading women in various positions, stressing that the interest shown by the country’s senior leadership in empowering women requires internal institutional policies consistent with this supportive strategy. She explained the need for governance and an integrated legislative system that supports these positive trends to reduce gaps.
Dr. Sumaya highlighted the experience of AGU as a regional model supporting the excellence and leadership of Bahraini and Gulf national women, and its successful policy in education based on innovative academic and professional programs. She added, “The most prominent challenges facing women are social, cultural and familial challenges, the intellectual heritage of a large segment of society, prevailing customs, and the lack of legislation that supports working women who juggle domestic and professional responsibilities.” She emphasized the need to strengthen partnerships between public and private sectors, taking into account the specificity of women’s physiological nature in a manner that boosts their productivity at work, home and the community.
In the context of Bahraini competencies, she stated, “Bahrain’s distinguished and ambitious competencies constitute its primary national capital,” noting the need to activate cooperation agreements and establish mechanisms to implement policies, follow up on their implementation and monitor compliance. At the same time, she called to activate partnership between academic research institutions that offer innovative academic and professional programs to optimize the benefit from their role in developing women and youth in general.
