In particular, the Arab news site focused on the Summit’s forum on economic development, during which participants addressed the travails and prejudices faced by the modern woman in Morocco and the rest of the Arab world.
For Moroccan women, said Najima Rhozali, national secretary in charge of literacy and informal education, improving the situation can only be achieved through fighting illiteracy. According to Arabicnews.com, “Rhozali said the situation in Morocco raises serious concerns since amidst the persons aged more than 10 years, 48 percent are illiterate and 2 million children are unschooled.
Twelve million persons in Morocco are illiterate, she said, adding that Moroccan women are particularly affected by the phenomenon with a rate of 62 percent compared to 38 percent for men, and that rural areas are more affected than urban areas.” What are Rhozali’s objective in the face of these statistics? In the short-run, Arabicnews.com reported, the state secretariat in charge of literacy and informal education is aiming to bring the illiteracy rate down from 48 percent to 35 percent by 2004, she said, adding the long-run goal is to reach a zero percent rate by 2015.
At the same forum, held in the shadow of the World Women Summit, Arab businesswomen detailed the difficulties they face in their professional lives. In particular, Arabicnews.com reports, women are faced with problems in fund-raising and appropriate training. Participants noted that “the difficulty lies greatly in mental attitudes and prejudices toward women in the Arab states despite their contribution to world economy,” reports Arabicnews.com. To overcome these prejudices, some suggested, there is importance in establishing relationships with NGOs. Speakers at the forum emphasized that women need to be further exposed to information and communication technologies, according to the report from Marrakech, as women entrepreneurs “suffer from lack in information, projects studies and management skills.”
According to the Arab news outlet, the President of the Mauritanian Association for Women Entrepreneurs, Jemila Bent Taya, praised her country’s “political resolve to encourage women for further involvement in the economic policy of the country.” She noted that there are several professional associations of women-run enterprises in her country. And president of the Moroccan Espace Point de Depart association, Sabah Chraibi, called for reinforcing women’s image in Arab society as economic actors and not only as consumers.
Businesswomen from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) will hold their first conference next year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president of the Islamic Chamber of Trade and Industry, Oqail Ahmed Jassem told the press that the Chamber examined the possibility to hold a conference of businesswomen of Islamic countries to discuss their aspirations and business prospects. According to Arabicnews.com, he further noted that “[w]omen's presence in several sectors of economic activity in Moslem countries is due to their capacity in business....”
For Moroccan women, said Najima Rhozali, national secretary in charge of literacy and informal education, improving the situation can only be achieved through fighting illiteracy. According to Arabicnews.com, “Rhozali said the situation in Morocco raises serious concerns since amidst the persons aged more than 10 years, 48 percent are illiterate and 2 million children are unschooled.
At the same forum, held in the shadow of the World Women Summit, Arab businesswomen detailed the difficulties they face in their professional lives. In particular, Arabicnews.com reports, women are faced with problems in fund-raising and appropriate training. Participants noted that “the difficulty lies greatly in mental attitudes and prejudices toward women in the Arab states despite their contribution to world economy,” reports Arabicnews.com. To overcome these prejudices, some suggested, there is importance in establishing relationships with NGOs. Speakers at the forum emphasized that women need to be further exposed to information and communication technologies, according to the report from Marrakech, as women entrepreneurs “suffer from lack in information, projects studies and management skills.”
According to the Arab news outlet, the President of the Mauritanian Association for Women Entrepreneurs, Jemila Bent Taya, praised her country’s “political resolve to encourage women for further involvement in the economic policy of the country.” She noted that there are several professional associations of women-run enterprises in her country. And president of the Moroccan Espace Point de Depart association, Sabah Chraibi, called for reinforcing women’s image in Arab society as economic actors and not only as consumers.
Businesswomen from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) will hold their first conference next year in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The president of the Islamic Chamber of Trade and Industry, Oqail Ahmed Jassem told the press that the Chamber examined the possibility to hold a conference of businesswomen of Islamic countries to discuss their aspirations and business prospects. According to Arabicnews.com, he further noted that “[w]omen's presence in several sectors of economic activity in Moslem countries is due to their capacity in business....”