UK envoy lauds women’s role

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KUWAIT CITY, May 17 : Women in Kuwait play a very active role in society, said British Ambassador to Kuwait Belinda Lewis. The embassy in Kuwait hosted a workshop called “Women in Leadership” on Monday marking Kuwaiti Women’s Day, which reflects the Kuwaiti political leadership’s belief in the role of women in all fields. “Comparing with many countries, women empowerment in Kuwait is good, I’ve seen a well-educated and motivated society,” said the ambassador.

On the other hand, the visiting United Kingdom Minister for Asia and the Middle East MP Amanda Milling said that women in Kuwait have reached high levels in business, public service and politics. During the workshop Nouf Al-Mazeedi and Abdullah Al-Khonaini presented a research on political economy and gender issues, which shows that women need to be incentivized to become candidates and need support that sets them up for success.

Decision
It added that that the Kuwaiti society needs to view women as viable decision makers, capable of winning seats and delivering positive incomes. It also pointed out that the Kuwaiti political system needs to be structured in a way that encourages women’s political participation. Leanah Al-Awadhi and Asrar Hayat, co-founders of Madhawi’s list, which offers support to women running for elected office positions, believe that increasing the number of women in leadership positions and fostering a civil workplace both help to alleviate domestic problems.

On May 17, 2005 a bill was passed 37-21 votes against women’s suffrage, granting Kuwaiti women the right to vote and run for an elected office. Four years later, in May 2009, four female candidates won parliamentary seats in a general election out of 50 available seats.

FM meets UK minister
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Al-Sabah met Tuesday with British Minister of State for Asia, the Middle East, Commonwealth affairs, and British development, Amanda Milling, along with an accompanying delegation on occasion of an official state visit. The two sides discussed the special bilateral ties connecting the two nations, and ways of bolstering these relations across various fields, as well as mulling over latest developments on regional and international fronts. (By Ghadeer Al-Abdullah KUNA)

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