Qatar: Investing in Women’s Leadership and Economic Development in the Middle East

The third Global Ambassadors Program mentoring forum of 2013 will take place next week in Doha, Qatar, November 11-15.

The week-long forum will focus on promoting economic empowerment for women leaders across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Mentees and Global Ambassadors (mentors) will be paired for one-on-one mentoring sessions throughout the week, and take part in a mentoring walk in Aspire Park — to be joined by more than 200 local women entrepreneurs and professionals.

The mentoring forum coincides with the Qatar International Businesswomen’s Forum (QIBWF), an annual high-level gathering to identify and create opportunities for Arab businesswomen. Two Bank of America Merrill Lynch executives will speak on a panel about women’s leadership development and the impact of mentoring. Global Ambassadors Program participants who attend the QIBWF will have a chance to network with peers and gain deeper insight into how women drive economic growth in the region.

Studies have shown that mentorship can play a key role in advancing women’s economic empowerment. The program in Qatar will forge connections across continents and spheres of influence to help form a strong network of external advisors for women in the region. This builds on ongoing mentorship and collaborations sparked during Global Ambassadors Program forums in Haiti, South Africa, India, Singapore and Brazil since 2012.

Throughout the week, participants will have the opportunity to discuss topics such as financing small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); creating policies to promote entrepreneurship in the Arab world; breaking down barriers to leadership in the MENA region; and continuing to reduce the gender gap in the workforce.

Bringing together women and leaders from the public, private, commercial, and civil service sectors will play an important role in helping emerging leaders in the MENA region further their economic, social and political goals.