The Forum "Saudi Women's Development Contributions in Achieving the 2030 Vision: Reality and Foresight"

Entrance: Under the patronage of Her Excellency the Dean of the University Dr. Huda Alameel. In continuation of the role of the Center in discussing modern societal issues and the importance of universities' contribution to achieving Vision 2030, the Center organized a forum entitled " Saudi Women's Development Contributions in Achieving the 2030 Vision: Reality and Foresight " on Wednesday,9\6\1438 H corresponding to 8/3/2017. This coincides with International Women's Day.

Objectives of the Forum:

- Recognize the achievements of Saudi women, ways of empowering them and the obstacles they face.

- The contribution of Saudi women to achieving the vision of 2030 and looking ahead in the light of contemporary developments.

Topics of the Forum:

- Saudi women's achievements and challenges.

- Women's contributions to achieving the vision of 2030.

- Active participation of Saudi women in society.

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Recommendations:

• Launching an econometric study of the impact of labor market policies on women in the short and long term.

• The need for Saudi women to contribute to achieving the vision of the Kingdom 2030 through working in the central programs of their objectives and participation in the review and evaluation of these programs through their work in all sectors.

• Contribute to achieving the vision of 2030 for raising the participation of women in the labor market from (22%) to (30%) by opening new channels of business, especially in small projects and investment of business through social networks.

• Review and amend the regulations, legislation and laws that represent some restrictions on women in Saudi society to grant them an area of freedom without prejudice to the provisions of Islamic law, so that they are treated as fully qualified citizens in government systems and legislation.

• The need for women to participate in the making, formulation and analysis of social and economic policies at the national level in general and labor policies in particular.

• Formulating the organizational culture of women through the adoption of administrative policies that adopt objectivity and accuracy in individual and collective performance, such as fostering the culture of quality, culture of creativity and innovation and culture of excellence in performance.

• Draw upon the experiences of other countries to keep abreast with international developments and participate in decision-making through women's leadership positions.

• Develop a policy to increase the participation of women through the quota system by determining certain percentages that government and private institutions must adhere to, to ensure that women exercise their right in the field of work.

Establishment of centers for women leaders aims to prepare women leaders in various fields. The tasks will be:

- Conducting training programs for the qualification of women leaders aiming to acquire leadership skills and capacity, and to keep them up-to-date with the latest in management science.

- Conducting scientific studies related to women's practice of leadership in particular and administrative  work in general, and identify the obstacles they  face while working and develop the necessary solutions.

- Providing a database for Saudi women and updating it periodically and permanently.

- Highlighting the successful experiences of Saudi women's administrative leadership, highlight them in the community as outstanding examples in order to enhance confidence in other women and raise their ambition to reach these positions.

• Review employment and recruitment criteria in decision-making bodies and upgrade to leadership positions to ensure that these criteria are appropriate and do not discriminate against women. Also to give them the opportunity to hold positions in Saudi universities such as deans, directors of centers, heads of departments and others.

• Investing the new media in instilling positive values and concepts about the education of women and their role in social and practical life.

• Spreading the culture of women's rights, correcting negative stereotypes and enhancing their status in society.

• Adopting policies that support women to harmonize their family and functional responsibilities through initiatives to achieve this, for example the establishment of a nursery for children in the workplace, reducing working hours.

• The establishment of specialized academic departments in some areas such as military science, judiciary and engineering to meet the specializations needs of the community and qualify distinguished women to take leadership positions.

• Providing opportunities for volunteering to community members and institutions. Develop a program for the organization of volunteer work through the establishment of a department in the Ministry of Social Affairs responsible for receiving requests for volunteering by making a scale model that determines the desires, potentials and skills on the basis of which they are directed to the appropriate institutions.

• The launch of a national working group to assess the needs of women in the labor market, so that facilitates the exchange of information, to increase women's awareness of issues related to their work, discuss the needs of women in rural and urban areas, diagnose and address the problems that women face, develops a comprehensive framework  for application. It is also necessary to ensure that labor market policies are evaluated, monitored and adjusted, based on responses to them in line with market needs.

• The need for the attention of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare of young Saudi women and provide all the programs and events set for them also, especially entertainment programs.

Activating the role of the private sector represented in social responsibility programs to contribute to:

- Supporting, qualifying, training and raising awareness of Saudi women, and that these programs be in accordance with a strategy that operates at the level of the State and that the balance be considered in all regions of the Kingdom.

- Programs to raise the awareness of women in the use and investment of communication networks for the development of citizenship, support intellectual security and consumer awareness, and all that would enhance their culture and raise their thinking.

- Coordination and cooperation between public and private sector officials in providing necessary services for women's work in private sector enterprise such as transportation, child custody and women's offices.

- Issuing legislations and laws that protect them in the work environment in the private sector and provide a suitable environment commensurate with their nature.

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