Qatar's permanent delegation virtually organised an event on the sidelines of the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) under the theme of empowering women: women in nuclear and related fields.
The event was held in partnership with the permanent delegations of The Gambia and Malta to the UN and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with the participation of Representative of Director General of IAEA to UN Vivian Okeke, alongside a host of permanent delegates to the UN and nuclear fields experts.
Addressing the event, Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN, HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani underlined the State's steadfast belief in the importance of women's engagement in the fields related to nuclear energy, sciences, and technology, as well as engineering and mathematics as the key for preparing a more balanced workforce that supports the sustainable development goals.
The Qatari women currently excel in generating scientific grades in sciences and mathematics compared to many counterparts in the advanced countries, HE Sheikha Alya pointed out, adding that the Qatari women have succeeded in overcoming the obstacles and entered new career pathways that are traditionally dominated by men.
She stressed that women in Qatar account for 51.6% of all undergraduate engineering students, affirming that Qatar has made this success by virtue of multiple beneficial efforts such as the initiatives of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) that support women-led projects, research and development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
HE Sheikha Alya indicated that Hamad Bin Khalifa University offers scholarships for graduate studies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for both genders with the aim of drawing talented students globally, along with ambitious women who diligently aspire to work in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics areas.
Strengthening the women's engagement in those critical fields will significantly contribute to achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030, along with the sustainable development goals at the local and regional levels, she said.
The event was intended to encourage the women's presence in nuclear and nuclear-related fields to address the challenges facing the world, such as climate change, the growing number of populations, food insecurity and the increasing demand for energy.
HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani
