Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi issued a statement marking Emirati Women’s Day 2026 that framed the progress of women in the country as the cumulative result of contributions across multiple generations. She said every Emirati Women’s Day prompts reflection on how far the nation has come and what current achievements mean for those who follow. The advancement of Emirati women has never been the work of one generation alone, according to the statement distributed by Sharjah24, but belongs to a longer story of women whose strength, knowledge and contributions have shaped society across generations. Each generation has opened doors for the next, expanded what is possible, and shown that women’s ambition is part of the UAE’s ambition for itself.
At every step the journey has remained rooted in culture, heritage and the values that define the nation, Sheikha Bodour added in the statement. Thanks to the leadership’s vision and support, Emirati women today lead with confidence at home and beyond borders. Wherever their work takes them they carry the values of generosity and openness that have always guided the country, along with a responsibility to create opportunities for the women coming behind them.
Reflecting on this year’s theme Together, We Rise Stronger and Better, Sheikha Bodour stated that progress becomes more meaningful when it creates opportunities for others. Strength grows when it is shared, she continued, and every woman who moves forward can make the path wider for the woman coming after her. On Emirati Women’s Day she celebrates the women whose courage and determination brought the country to this point, those contributing today, and the young women who will carry the journey into the future.
A Gulf News report on the occasion noted that Sheikha Bodour credited the UAE’s leadership with creating conditions for women to assume influential positions both domestically and on the international stage. The statement aligns with her longstanding advocacy for female leadership, which has included initiatives aimed at expanding opportunities in education, publishing and technology. Sheikha Bodour has served in prominent roles that themselves demonstrate the ambition she described.
Sheikha Bodour currently serves as president of the American University of Sharjah, where women make up 52 percent of students, 44 percent of faculty and staff, and 38 percent of the board of trustees, an Economy Middle East profile of her work showed. The university established the first endowed chair in women’s leadership in the UAE under her guidance, supporting research and programs that prepare female graduates for senior positions. These efforts build on national trends that have seen Emirati women assume ministerial, diplomatic and executive responsibilities across multiple sectors.
A Khaleej Times report from earlier this year placed the share of women among UAE government university graduates in STEM subjects at 56 percent, underscoring the scale of female participation in fields once dominated by men. Sheikha Bodour has repeatedly called for technology companies to design workplaces with women’s needs in mind from the outset, including flexible arrangements and pathways to leadership. Her initiatives such as PublisHer have focused on increasing women’s representation in publishing and related knowledge industries at both regional and global levels.
She became the first Arab woman to serve as president of the International Publishers Association and founded Kalimat Publishing Group two decades ago to produce quality Arabic children’s literature, according to a University of Leicester announcement that conferred an honorary professorship on her in 2025. Those accomplishments have positioned her as a figure who translates the generational narrative she outlined into concrete programs that expand access and mentorship for younger Emirati women. The statement on August 27 reinforced that such individual advances form part of a collective national trajectory.
