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The first conference of the National Observatory for Women (NOW) titled “Women in Development: Towards a Thriving Economy” was held at KSU under the patronage of his Excellency the Minister of Labor and Social Development ,Dr. Ali Nasser Al- Ghafis between 3-5 April 2018. The conference was attended by his Excellency the Rector of KSU, Prof. Badran Abdulrahman Al-Omar, his Excellency the President of the General Authority for Statistics, Dr. Fahad Suliman Al Tekhaifi, the Vice-Rector for Female student Affairs ,Prof. Einas Suliman Al-Eisa, NOW founding members and an elite of experts and specialists.
The conference was accompanied by an exhibition that highlighted women's role in the development in accordance with the themes of Saudi Vision 2030; a vibrant society, a thriving economy, an ambitious nation. The first day consisted of two sessions, and was opened by Shura Council Member ,Prof. Hanan Al Ahmadi. The first session discussed opportunities for empowering women under the Vision 2030, whereas the second session discussed women's role in development. This was followed by inspiring dialogue platforms with the Director of Alghad Values Center, Ms. Dimah Al-Sheikh and the Director of Social Responsibility in Saudi Arabian Football Federation, Ms. Adwa Al-Arifi.
The conference second day consisted of three sessions; the first session, which was opened by Dr. Fahad Al Tekhaifi, discussed women's participation in development indicators, the second session discussed opportunities and challenges for women's participation in development, and the third session reviewed successful models and initiatives in enhancing women's role in development.
King Saud University has signed a memorandum of understanding with the General Authority for Statistics to establish the National Women Observatory which aims in building detailed indicators that periodically monitor women's participation and implementing statistical studies to support women’s development.
The Conference Most Important Recommendations:
• Obtain a supreme decree approval for an annual NOW conference at King Saud University and invite representatives of international organizations interested in women empowerment.
• Build indicators that periodically measure the role of women in development in order to monitor the implementation of the National Strategy for Women presented by the Council of Family Affairs
• Conduct and implement research studies related to multiple projects under the initiative of empowering women within Saudi Vision 2030.
• Establish a database for studies on Saudi women and their participation in development.
• Encourage researchers and graduate students to conduct studies on topics related to women's participation in development indicators and to document their data in the observatory database.
• Exchange and integrate data between the Observatory and its partners from the government, the private and non-profit sectors to serve the public interest.
• obtain an approval to establish graduate studies departments or programs in different colleges that focus on women's studies in accordance with the research approach adopted by the Observatory.
• Coordinate with the Ministry of Economy and Planning to link the Kingdom indicators to the global indicators through linking the Observatory indicators to the international performance indicators
Finally, this conference comes within KSU’s framework to empower women to contribute in development and in building a strong society and a vibrant environment.