Women only parking spaces and special property leasing and renting terms for women in Sharjah are some of the highlights of a Memorandum of Understanding signed by NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) and Sharjah City Municipality (SCM) recently.

The memorandum also states that SCM will empower its female employees through leadership training to advance their careers.

HE Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA and HE Thabit Salem Obaid Al Tarifi Al Shamsi, Director General of SCM signed the MoU at the SCM headquarters, in the presence of Sheikha Hind bint Majid Al Qasimi, Acting Chairperson of the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC) along with a host of NAMA representatives and SCM personnel.

The collaboration supports the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, which seeks to provide women with more opportunities to participate in all sectors of the economy and advance their contribution to sustainable growth.

NAMA will support SCM in all of its activities, including events and training courses as well exchanging research, scientific studies and consultations on the impact of women in the economy. It will also conduct surveys and gather statistics that provide fully integrated data of women in business, as well as develop tools, methods and investment systems that enhance women’s success in entrepreneurship.

The MoU also stipulates that SCM will develop projects which provide women with beneficial leasing and rental terms in order to boost business operations and opportunities. SCM will also dedicate car parking areas to women at the Municipality’s paid parking lots and parking spaces, as well as public parking lots, in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Reem BinKaram said: “This collaboration comes in the wake of the recommendations made at the Women's Economic Empowerment Global Summit (WEEGS) that we held in partnership with UN Women last December. We are constantly looking to develop more partnerships with a range of companies, organisations and state entities that share our visions and objectives to achieve full women empowerment through a vast array of facilities and services which will highlight them as key influencers within the economic community.”

“This cooperation with Sharjah City Municipality will provide ambitious women entrepreneurs with even more opportunities and support and enable us to develop, launch and implement a spectrum of projects and programmes.”

For his part, HE Thabit Salem Al Tarifi added: “Through this partnership, SCM is furthering its commitment to provide women with an ideal business and working environment to enhance their creativity and contribution to the economy of Sharjah and the UAE. The Municipality’s ultimate strategy in this agreement is to not only provide women with the resources to realise their potential but also highlight their role as a key driving force behind community’s development and success.”

NAMA was founded in December 2015 under an Emiri Decree No. (107/2015), issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member Ruler of Sharjah, and is chaired by his wife Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family affairs (SCFA).

NAMA’s core philosophy is to raise awareness that women are an indispensable human resource for the development of every nation. NAMA was conceived to go beyond the remit of supporting women and ensuring gender equality to a broader scope that aims to see women become influential key members of society, thereby enabling them to climb the ladder of success.

It encourages policies and legislation to support women and actively pursues programmes that support gender integration into all sectors and abolishes unjust practices and policies that discriminate against the advancement of women.

Sharjah Business Women Council, and Badiri Education and Development Academy fall under the umbrella of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.