In line with social distancing measures and as part of the national dialogue series on Saudi women for the Women 20 (W20) Engagement Group—organized by Al-Nahda in conjunction with its presidency of W20—Al-Nahda held its third and final virtual national dialogue webinar, attended by experts and interested participants from the Eastern Province.

The meeting opened with a welcoming address by HRH Princess Modhi bint Khalid, Chairwoman of Al-Nahda, who emphasized the importance of these dialogues in generating a broad set of recommendations that could significantly influence policy design related to women's economic empowerment.

This was followed by remarks from the regional partner for this third national dialogue, HRH Princess Abeer bint Faisal bin Turki, Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of the Eastern Province Council for Social Responsibility.

Next, Ms. Rasha Alturki, CEO of Al-Nahda, delivered an overview of Al-Nahda as the leading organization of the Women 20 (W20) Engagement Group.

She was followed by Dr. Thoraya Obaid, Chair of W20 and Board Member of Al-Nahda, who presented an overview of W20 in 2020 and its priority areas under Saudi Arabia’s presidency.

Afterward, Dr. Hala Al-Tuwaijri, Secretary-General of the Family Affairs Council and Vice Dean of the College of Arts at King Saud University, gave a presentation on the National Strategy for Women Empowerment.

Panel Sessions

Session 1:

“The Current Status of Saudi Women in W20 Priority Areas: Labor Market Inclusion and Digital Inclusion”
Speakers:

  • Ms. Hind Al-Zahed (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development)

  • Ms. Tasneem Al-Ghamdi (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development)

  • Ms. Deemah Al-Yahya (Innovation & Digital Economy Consultant)
    Moderator: Ms. Jawaher Al-Sudairy (Al-Nahda)

Session 2:

“The Current Status of Saudi Women in W20 Priority Areas: Financial Inclusion and Entrepreneurship”
Speakers:

  • Ms. Nour Al-Abdulkareem (Social Development Bank)

  • Ms. Afnan Al-Babtain (Monsha’at)

  • Ms. Amal Dokhan (Global Entrepreneurship Network – Saudi Arabia)
    Moderator: Ms. Salma Al-Rashed (Al-Nahda)

Session 3:

“Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms”
Speakers:

  • Dr. Aseel Al-Mansour (General Authority for Statistics)

  • Dr. Maimoona Al-Khalil (National Observatory for Women)

  • Ms. Jawaher Al-Sudairy (Al-Nahda)
    Moderator: Ms. Rasha Alturki (Al-Nahda)

The event concluded with an open Q&A session, allowing the audience to engage with the speakers.

The national dialogue series aims to highlight the priorities of Saudi women and their economic empowerment, ultimately contributing to policy development that strengthens financial inclusion, digital inclusion, labor market participation, and women’s involvement in entrepreneurship.

It is noteworthy that this dialogue series began in Riyadh, followed by Jeddah, and concluded in the Eastern Province.
The outcomes of these dialogues will be presented virtually on Wednesday, July 8, via Zoom.