Registration Open for Second edition of ‘Investing in the Future’ Conference

The organising committee of the second ‘Investing in the Future’ (IIFMENA) conference has announced that registration is open for all participants. Taking place on October 19-20, the event is being held under the theme ‘Building the Resilience of Women and Girls in the Arab Region.’

Organised by The Big Heart Foundation - a Sharjah-based international humanitarian body dedicated to helping the vulnerable and people in need worldwide – and held in partnership with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), IIFMENA is taking place under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and His Wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation and Chairperson of the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.

Hosted by Sharjah for the second time, the UN conference aims to highlight the need to incorporate women and young girls into decision-making and planning for economic empowerment; paying attention to their specific needs in education, skills-training and employment. Participants will discuss effective means to ensure their access to resources, particularly for female-headed households in view of the socio-economic restrictions placed on women in many countries.

The two-day conference will bring together government officials, representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, advocates of gender equality, academics and a number of experts and media personalities from the region and beyond.

"We are delighted to open registration for participation in the second edition of the ‘Investing in the Future’ conference, which will offer a platform for participants to forge new partnerships, share successful practices and develop innovative methods for gender equality. Through our work we aspire to realise the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, which aims to empower and protect women and girls, with a special focus on refugees and displaced persons. We are committed to a programme of activities and practical solutions that honour the needs and rights of women and girls," said Mariam al Hammadi, Director of Salam Ya Seghar, an initiative by The Big Heart Foundation.

Al Hammadi called on all those interested in participating in the conference to visit its website and complete an online application, stating that all institutions, organisations and individuals are welcome. She highlighted that the website provides all details related to the conference as well as hosts information about The Big Heart Foundation and its programmes of activities and events.

IIFMENA strives to coordinate efforts in planning for peace-building and development, with gender equality and the empowerment of women and young girls as an integral part of its overall plans, policies and programmes. The conference aims to support all woman, including refugees and displaced persons, by working to ensure full rights and justice for them.

Participants interested in registering for the second Investing in the Future conference should submit their applications via http://iifmena.org before mid- October.