Jawaher Al Qasimi Calls for Support of Guiding Movement in UAE

Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Chairperson of the UAE Girl Guides (UAEGG), has called on government bodies, private institutions and the local community to support the guiding and scouting movement in the UAE.

Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi made the statement during a meeting with a delegation from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts’ (WAGGGS) Arab Region, where Her Highness highlighted the UAE’s efforts to support the scouting and guiding movement in the Arab world. Her Highness underscored the UAE’s significant contribution to strengthening channels of effective communication with various scouting movements across the world and also reiterated the plans set by the UAEGG to intensify its efforts in promoting the potential of young girls in the UAE.

“We cannot speak about the impressive effect of the guiding movement in the UAE without talking about the highly qualified and inspiring young Emiratis who are leading major organisations and developing official policies to be adopted by numerous sectors in the country. The guiding movement has succeeded in qualifying and graduating active independent personalities equipped with the knowledge and skills to turn the UAE’s aspirations and hopes into tangible realities,” said Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi.

“We all need to support and strengthen the role of the UAE’s Girl Guides and should be inspired by the assistance extended by our leaders for this movement ever since it was established in Sharjah in 1973. Since its inception, the movement has spread to other emirates and resulted in hundreds of well-trained girls graduating annually; girls who have been imbued with noble values and who are able to utilise the skills they have acquired for the good of the country,” Her Highness added.

On the sidelines of their visit, the WAGGGS Arab Region delegation conducted several meetings with UAEGG representatives at the headquarters of Sharjah Girl Guides and Ras Al Khaimah Girl Guides, with the two sides discussing the future of their joint relations and highlighting the projects for the development of the scouting sector.

The meetings articulated a number of recommendations to advance the Arab guiding movement, including the creation of a reference body to monitor regional developments and the establishment of a mechanism that would enable girl guides associations in the Arab region to remain updated about the latest developments on the global stage. They also recommended formulating policies to prepare and nurture guiding leaders and to provide them with training courses that would keep participants abreast of technological advances and scientific progress. The recommendations included observing and documenting the guiding experiences of WAGG Arab Region members and ensuring active contributions to developing the guiding movement in the Arab region.

During their visit, the WAGGG Arab Region delegation met Sheikha Hana bint Juma Al Majid, wife of His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, at the headquarters of Ras Al Khaimah Girl Guides. They exchanged talk about the importance of joint action in upgrading Arab guiding and the immense efforts being spearheaded by the UAE in support of the movement.

Throughout the meeting with the Arab delegation at Sharjah Girl Guides’ headquarters, Mariam Al Rumaithi, Deputy Chairperson of the UAEGG Association, briefed the visiting delegation on the history of UAEGG and her outlook about the future of the guiding movement in the UAE. She referred to the recent restructuring of UAEGG’s board of directors - a resolution that stemmed from Sheikha Jawaher’s firm belief in the essential role of the guiding movement in nurturing, training and qualifying Emirati girls to be at the forefront of the country’s comprehensive development.

Raeda Bader, Chair of the Arab Regional Committee, gave an overall review of the latest developments on WAGGGS and WAGGS Arab Region, with a focus on their message and vision, as well as on their strategic plans for the years 2015–2017 and their future plans for the years 2018-2020. She also discussed the organisatons’ sustainable development goals and highlighted the 154 countries where girl guides and girl scouts are expected to be active by 2020.

“We aimed through our visit to strengthen ties of joint cooperation with UAEGG and to brief the Emirati side about the latest achievements by the scouting movement in the Arab world, as well as about the projects and activities to be implemented in Arab countries. We also sought sustainable solutions that would serve guiding and exchanged views about the latest developments for WAGGGS and WAGGGS Arab Region,” said Bader.

The meeting was also attended by Najat Bakhit Hadid, Deputy Chairperson of WAGGGS Arab Region Committee; Hind Al Houli, Chairperson of the GCC’s Girl Guides Committee; Professor Al Anoud Al Warshow, UAEGG Board member; Reem BinKaram, UAEGG Board member; Sheikha Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Manager of Sharjah Girl Guides and Badria Al Junaibi, Director of Abu Dhabi Girl Guides.

Since its establishment, UAEGG has sought to enhance the capabilities of Emirati girls and has contributed significantly to developing their creative and cognitive skills and cultivating within them a team spirit. The organisation strongly encourages girls to participate in its events and activities as it believes that the knowledge acquired through such participation will help them immeasurably in their academic lives and future careers.