Dammam-Amlak
The Eastern Chamber concluded last week the work of the fourth edition of the Women's Economic Forum 2014 under the title “Manufacturing the Future ... with the vision of women”, which was sponsored by the wife of the Emir of the region, Her Highness Princess Abeer bint Faisal bin Turki, amid successes and praise for the level of women's participation, amid a large participation of Saudi businesswomen, in addition to the participation of a group of businesswomen from the Gulf and Arab countries, and representatives of several regional and international women's organizations participated.

Representatives of several regional and international women's organizations participated. <Dr. Najah Al-Qaraawi, Dean of the Community College at the University of Dammam, stressed the importance of facing the challenges in the current period to increase women's participation in the economic decision and maintain social balance in order to coexist with the requirements of society.
Bahraini Shura Council member Dalal Al-Zayed emphasized the need for women to participate in the economic decision by enacting legislation and contributing to the formulation of decisions to facilitate the economic process, explaining that ”the decision maker in the Arab Gulf region does not look for issues but rather executive measures and proposals without presenting the issue,“ explaining that establishing associations of businesswomen or partnerships works to smoothly convey challenges and provide solutions to decision makers.


For her part, Dr. Lama Al-Sulaiman, a member of the board of directors of the Jeddah Chamber, noted the challenges facing women in order to participate in the economic decision. According to Al-Sulaiman, the regulations helped facilitate the participation of women, but we find difficulties in the application, so the difference of opinions contributes to highlighting the fear of change. She emphasized that equality with men is equality of opportunity. Shura Council member Dr. Soraya Al Aridh said: During our experience, we have achieved many achievements despite the short period of participation, and there are still many issues that we will participate in resolving for women.

Active participation
The speakers unanimously agreed that the participation of women in parliamentary councils or Shura Councils creates a kind of movement and is no longer bitter participation shyly, but has become dominating the discussions by defending and demanding the realization of their demands as required by reality.

In the third session, which was moderated by Young Women's Business Council member Mona Al-Baoud, which was entitled (Women are an economic wealth), Sheikha Hind bint Salman Al Khalifa, President of the Bahraini Business and Professional Women's Club, emphasized that it is necessary to provide opportunities for women and rehabilitation and not leave them within the limits of home production because unorganized work does not guarantee their rights.


375 billion frozen in banks
The President of Effat University, Dr. Haifa Jamal Al-Lail, pointed out that several factors contributed to the creation of economic wealth, and if we look at the statistics, we find that 56 percent of the graduates of the community are women and the bulk of them are unemployed and 80 percent of those registered in the incentive program are women, so women's wealth is wasted, and the head of the Business Women's Committee in Al-Ahsa Fadia Al-Rashed reviewed the limited sectors in which women participate, and said that 375 billion Saudi riyals are women's balances frozen in banks and the volume of women's participation in economic activity does not exceed 8 percent.

They called for the need to raise the culture of women's work, such as financial investment culture and legal culture, as there are still obstacles that limit women's participation, the first is to enter into investment partnerships or banking institutions, and it is necessary to prepare leaders from the next generation and their participation in decision-making.

Recommendations and demands
In the closing session, chaired by journalist Maysa Al-Amoudi, under the title (Saudi women, confident steps towards the future), the President of the Association of Scouts and Guides in the Kingdom, Maha Fatihi, said that the meeting of the minds of men and women is an integration for a balanced society.

Fatihi emphasized that women cannot be forced to go out to work to provide opportunities and meet the needs and requirements of their families, ”the choice is hers, and what matters to us is the awareness of women, the most important thing is the education of their children, as we do not want a generation of domestic workers.“ ”Arabs all lack three traits: discipline, self-reliance, initiative and enthusiasm, our culture is a culture of duties and women must know their duties and not demand rights and leave duties.“

Princess Al Jawhara bint Saud bin Thunyan (Director of Prince Salman Social Center) explained that the positive view of the support that women receive helps them to achieve their ambition, as there is no work without challenges, as challenges generate experiences and from them to appropriate skills and opportunities. It is necessary to distinguish between religious constants and social customs, explaining that the principle of competition is limited, knowing that it is the main driver of creativity and innovation, as it is easy to reach the top but difficult to maintain it
For her part, Afnan Al Babtain, Executive Director of the Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Fund for Women's Development, emphasized the role of small and medium-sized enterprises and the importance of the need for management and leadership training to create a conscious generation capable of keeping up with the challenges. She reviewed the most prominent development programs provided by the Fund, with the aim of empowering women and highlighting their capabilities in various fields through financing, providing consultations and creating business incubators, noting the campaign implemented by the Fund ”Vic We are Proud", which is the first campaign that honors women who have worked silently and left an impact in various fields.