Women like Nora AlMatrooshi and Heyam Al Alblooshi are shattering stereotypes and being recognized for their true potentials as game-changers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) sectors in the UAE. Nora AlMatrooshi made history at just 28 years old as the first-ever female Emirati and Arab astronaut, selected from more than 4,000 applicants in the UAE. Heyam Al Alblooshi, a passionate engineer, is pursuing her dream as a Design Engineer with the UAE Space Agency, where she was actively involved in the Emirate’s Mars Mission. The UAE's commitment to gender equality in STEM is evident in the leadership of H.E. Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency. She led the team that sent the UAE's Hope Probe spacecraft to Mars, which was launched on July 19, 2020, and arrived to Mars on February 9, 2021. The team included a significant number of women, with female engineers and scientists comprising 34% of the Emirates Mars Mission team and women representing 80% of the Hope Probe's operations team. “The Arab world has its share of pioneering women scientists, and their work has played a key role in addressing issues that impact global society. We can see examples of driving forward with diversity in the UAE, providing women with access to funding, career progression and equal-pay.” H.E. Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Public Education and Advanced Technology and Chairwoman of the UAE Space Agency As a global priority, gender equality in science and technology is crucial for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite significant efforts to engage women and girls in STEM over the past decades, they continue to be excluded from fully participating in these fields. For instance, women are typically given smaller research grants than their male colleagues, and only 12% of members of national science academies are women, even though they represent 33.3% of all researchers. To address this gender gap, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) has been actively promoting awareness, capacity-building, and skills of women and girls globally in STEM and space technology. Efforts such as a global survey of the women workforce in the space sector and related assessment studies have been initiated, thus strengthening evidence-based awareness-raising. UNOOSA has connected over 200 women through its “Space4Women Mentorship Program” to inspire and guide more women and girls into STEM and space. A “life-changing experience”, as highlighted by one mentee, the program shows that role models and mentors can substantially support other women to achieve their ambitions in the STEM and space industries.  Global fora such as the “Space4Women Expert Meeting” confirm the role of the United Nations in promoting awareness of gender equality and empowerment, as well as providing the baselines to initiate policy action and changes. UNOOSA’s efforts, in such a context, contribute to making the global space sector more comparable and accessible to women and girls.  In addition to such efforts, the “L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Programme”, aims to promote the participation of young women in science, with a focus on the GCC region and Yemen. The driving ethos behind the yearly program is that ‘the world needs science and science needs women’. The program was created to break barriers for women in STEM to progress and provide them with the tools to succeed. In its ninth year, the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Middle East Regional Young Talents Programme, in partnership with Khalifa University of Science and Technology, has honored five visionary women from the GCC to recognize their ground-breaking research in the fields of their expertise, including three researchers from the United Arab Emirates: PhD student Hessa Ebrahim Ali Alfalahi for her research on early detection and diagnosis of depression and Parkinson’s disease using data collected through novel Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms Dr. Raefa Abou Khouzam for her research on investigating new treatment strategies for pancreatic cancer to lead to its elimination. Ayesha Abdulla Alkhoori for her research on converting Carbon Dioxide (CO2) into clean fuel to alleviate global warming and provide a solution for the energy depletion crisis. Call for applications for 2023 are now open until April 28. For more information, visit the website. “Through the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Program, we aim to improve the representation of women in STEM, to drive global impact by empowering more female scientists to achieve excellence at different stages of their careers and to encourage their participation in solving the great challenges of our time for the benefit of all.” Alexandra Palt, Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and CEO of the Foundation L’Oréal.  The world is undergoing a fundamental transformation that is changing the way we live, work, and think. This has far-reaching implications on society, and particularly in STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). While women remain a minority in digital information technology, computing, physics, mathematics, and engineering, they are certainly the driving force behind the UAE’s initiatives to stay on the cutting edge of science and technology. The UAE has embraced gender diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of life, including the digital revolution, ensuring that women have equal access to high-quality government services that are digitally optimized. The Regional Office for the Middle East of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) recently launched in the month of March 2023, the “Women in Tech Startup Competition: Middle East”, which targets innovative startups led, owned, or managed by women residing in the region. Applicants can participate in one of the following categories: social impact, tourism and travel experience, future tech and events and community. The initiative gives female entrepreneurs the chance to compete for enhanced capacity building and visibility, as well as strengthens UNWTO’s efforts to make tourism a pillar of women’s empowerment. The application period is open until end of June 2023. For more information, please visit the website. As stated by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili: “Tourism startups have the power and agility to transform the sector in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. Tourism startups are also leading the way in advancing women empowerment, in the Middle East and globally, and UNWTO is delighted to support the region’s best innovators and digital entrepreneurs.” The United Nations contributes to creating a conducive environment to the active and equal role of women and girls in space science, technology, innovation, and exploration, thus increasing and improving the participation of women in the space workforce. Through their unique role as a capacity-builder, UN agencies such as UNOOSA, UNESCO, UNWTO and many others, are enabling the space and STEM sectors to be more inclusive and diversified for women and young girls alike.  “We can all do our part to unleash our world’s enormous untapped talent – starting with filling classrooms, laboratories, and boardrooms with women scientists.” UN Secretary-General António Guterres The world is evolving and women in STEM are there to make it happen, from the UAE to the world.

As the world is trying to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 – on halving global food waste per capita at the retail and consumer levels by 2030 – Chef Leyla’s appointment as UNEP's new advocate on food waste in the West Asia region, aims to call attention to the need to the fight against the problem of food waste in a region which relies on food imports and where evidence shows wastage of large quantities of food. Dubai-based chef and television presenter Leyla Fathallah recently came across a bowl of grapes that were starting to turn. But instead of throwing them away, she rolled them into a brioche and posted a picture of it on Instagram, where she has 1.3 million followers. “I got so many comments of people saying ‘Please keep giving us ideas for how to use left-over food,’” said Fathallah. As the founder of the recently launched Fitkult, which makes ready-made meals, food waste has become a daily preoccupation for Fathallah. Her company prepares three dishes a day for her growing list of clientele. She has learned to calculate the exact amount of ingredients needed for each meal so that her chefs never cook more than is necessary. Fathallah is part of a growing number of chefs who are trying to counter what they call an epidemic of food waste in West Asia, where an estimated one-third of all food is squandered. The wastage is taking a needless economic and environmental toll on a region already contending with poverty and climate change, say those in the industry. Food waste isn’t only a problem in West Asia. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2021 Food Waste Index, almost 1 billion tonnes of food waste was generated in 2019 alone. More than 60 per cent of that came from households, 26 per cent from the food service sector and 13 per cent from retail. In all, the report found 17 per cent of food, from farm to table, goes to waste. These figures are particularly hard to swallow given that an estimated 3.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to a healthy diet and some 828 million people go hungry. That, the Food Waste Index found, undermines progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goalsrelating to poverty, hunger, inequality and responsible consumption and production. When food is wasted, all of the resources that went into producing it, such as water, energy for transportation and land are also squandered. Additionally, much of the food that is thrown away ends up in landfills where it decomposes and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to the climate crisis. An estimated 34 per cent of all food in West Asia is squandered, according to a 2021 report from UNEP on food waste in the region. This is taking place in a part of the world that can scarcely afford it, said Sami Dimassi, UNEP regional director for West Asia. “The region is heavily reliant on food imports and is also among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to scarce natural resources, such as water, and limited adaptation capacities,” says Dimassi. There are many contributors to food waste globally. These include poor planning on how much food is needed when shopping, improper storage and freezing and cooking or serving too much food. There are also cultural influences that might contribute to West Asia’s high food waste, say those in the industry. Issa Albalushi is a chef at Al Mouj Golf Restaurant in Muscat and the president of the Oman Chefs Guild. He often sees food go to waste at social events, like weddings. Albalushi said food waste was once common at his restaurant, which serves 200 people on an average day and up to 1,000 for special events. However, he has recently instituted a new system to track the exact weight of the ingredients in each dish. His staff also separate leftover food into two categories: food that has not been served to customers is donated to disadvantaged communities, and food that has been served is divided into meat and vegetables to be fed to livestock and pets. This reduces the amount of food that ends up in landfills producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Reducing food waste is a critical part of countering climate change. Squandered food accounts for 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to an unstable climate and extreme weather events, such as droughts and flooding. To raise awareness about the consequences of food waste, in 2019 UNEP and The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN launched the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. UNEP also launched the Recipe of Change Campaign, which encourages consumers in West Asia to be conscious of food waste. The initiative is designed to accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12, which covers sustainable consumption and production. As well, a UNEP initiative, Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals, helped 25 countries in Asia Pacific, West Asia, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean develop national strategies to reduce food loss and waste.  For many, combating food waste might seem like an overwhelming task that is best left to governments and institutions. However, for Leyla Fathallah, the process starts in kitchens. “It just takes a bit more work, creativity, and experimentation. Teach your kids these skills so they can learn the habit of not wasting food.”   Original story published by UNEP West Asia, available on their website.

Under the theme of “UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls”, the United Nations Women Liaison Office for the GCC (UN Women) and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) joined efforts for the 2022 campaign to produce a photo exhibition in the UAE, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence; which is a campaign that has been active since 1991. Starting on the 25th of November of each year, coinciding with the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women, the campaign continues for 16 days and ends on the International Human Rights Day on the 10th of December each year. While the fight for ending all forms of gender-based violence is an all year mission, the 16-days campaign is a reaffirmation for the world to scale its efforts, as it calls on governments, civil society, women's organizations, youth, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to come together to address and put an end to the global scourge of violence against women and girls. “The concept of violence against women is not limited to physical or physical abuse, rather its concept extends to include all manifestations of discrimination against women and deprivation of their human rights.” “One in three women will experience violence at least once in their lifetime. And in times of crisis, these percentages increase, as shown by the COVID-19 pandemic and other humanitarian crises, conflicts and disasters caused by climate change.” Gender-based violence disproportionately affects women and girls, and in situations of displacement, their risk of exposure to gender-based violence increases. With UN Women's mandate and UNHCR’s primary purpose to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees and people who were forced to flee, both organizations strive to ensure that women and girls, and particularly those in vulnerable contexts, are protected against gender-based violence. The UN Women-UNCHR joint exhibition in Abu Dhabi, featured photographs that captured women from around the world, who were subject to different forms of violence. Through the photography lens of professional photographers, powerful stories of resilience are unraveled aiming to change the narrative by speaking up against it. “The costs of violence against women are very high. They include the direct costs of services for the treatment and support of women victims of abuse and their children, and for the prosecution of perpetrators of such abuse and indirect costs such as loss of work and productivity as well as psychological pain and suffering.” Along with the photographs, the exhibition included quotes that introduced the audience to the “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence” campaign and its mission and objectives. The quotes also highlighted the different forms of violence that women and girls face, as it also emphasized on the harmful repercussions of violence on the lives of women and girls. It also provided solutions on ways to combat all forms of violence against women and girls. The joint exhibition was featured during a two-day high level event, under the title: “The Arab Declaration for the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls”. Organized by the UAE National Human Right Committee in cooperation with the UN Women Liaison Office for the GCC, the League of Arab States and the General Women's Union, the conference focused on exchanging best practices in combating violence against women and girls regionally. Millions of women around the world continue to suffer from violence in various forms. UN Women elaborates on how the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence awareness activities and interventions can change attitudes and influence people's behavior to prevent and eliminate violence against women at the local, national and international levels. Activities range from government campaigns to inform women about existing laws to prevent and punish violence, to holding meetings at the community and village levels on the negative effects of violence against women, to projects involving men and boys in combating violence against women. Orange the World: Do you know why orange is the official color for this campaign? Globally, the orange color was chosen for the campaign, because it symbolizes a bright future free from all forms of violence based on gender around the world. Several monuments and important buildings around the world lit up in orange each year to send a message that violence against women is unacceptable and must end now. Since 2018, UN Women in the UAE has led the coordination with government partners and other institutions such as the General Women's Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and various partners, to ensure that many iconic buildings across the UAE, such as Burj Khalifa and Dubai Frame, are lit up in orange in solidarity with the campaign. UN Women also launches an annual social media campaign inviting partners from all sectors to pledge their support and participate by taking concrete action to end violence against women and girls globally. Join the movement and learn more on how you can raise awareness.

Marking the UN's 77 years of service to humanity, the organization's ongoing strategic collaboration with the UAE government for more than 50 years was highlighted by the office of the UN Resident Coordinator for the United Arab Emirates hosted a series of outreach events across the UAE. In a special media event hosted by Dubai Media City (DMC), the UN in UAE commemorated this year's UN Day by convening members and staff of the United Nations Country Team for the UAE, the media outlets, and partners such as the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra (EYSO) who stunned the audience with a special performance. The Orchestra, based in Dubai Media City and home to some of the UAE’s leading young musicians, exemplified through music, the UN’s core objective of peace. The UN in the UAE also launched a short video titled "United Nations Day in UAE," which highlights a collective celebration of the UN's Day. The event also highlighted captivating stories from UN staff members who shared their stories from the field and what it means to be a United Nations staff in service of humanity.   “The UAE has always been a supporter of the UN’s global, regional and local efforts toward sustainable development. The UN in UAE continues to work together to realize our shared vision of a better world for all. We are proud to be convening the UN system and commemorating UN Day with our partners Dubai Media City and the Emirates Youth Symphony Orchestra. The United Nations is built on the spirit of hope; and today as we mark the UN Day, we renew our hope and conviction in what humanity can achieve when we work as one, in global solidarity,” said Mageed Yahia, UN Resident Coordinator ad interim for the UAE, and WFP Director in the UAE and Representative to the GCC. And as part of the celebrations, the UN emblem was projected on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the ADNOC building in Abu Dhabi on the same day.  The United Nations will continue its efforts around the globe and advance its prosperous relationship with the UAE and the ongoing strategic relationship for over 50 years and counting.