Women of Empowerment
HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein
Wife of the Vice President
and Prime Minister of the UAE
and Ruler of Dubai
Power Factors: Many women might
be happy enough being married to
the vice president, prime minister
and ruler of one of the fastest growing
countries in the world. For HRH,
it’s just a platform for doing great
things. The 2,000 Olympian—representing
Jordan in equestrian show
jumping—has immersed herself in
the humanitarian world. She founded
Tkiyet Um Ali (the first Middle Eastern
NGO dedicated to overcoming
hunger), and she is the first Middle
Easterner to serve as an ambassador
for the World Food Programme. She
serves as the chairperson of Dubai
International Humanitarian City and
was appointed a UN Messenger of
Peace by Secretary-General Ban-Ki
Moon.
Now that’s a full day’s work.
Queen Rania Al Abdullah
Queen of Jordan
Power Factors: She’s got everything, it seems. Brains. Beauty.
Talent. She’s the resourceful queen of a country with a near exemplary
human rights record and soaring real estate assets. With
smooth sailing in front of her, she’s turned her focus to the campaign
to fight for better education for Jordanian youth, advocacy
of human rights and, yes, women’s empowerment.
“I am moved by the image of a reverse domino effect in women’s empowerment. Instead of falling because of being pushed down, every woman lifts another up and passes the gift of strength on. In this way, success breeds success. And in this way, we have been making great strides in the area of women’s empowerment over the past few years locally, regionally and globally.”
She’s now the embodiment of a region’s positive perspective and point of view.
Sheikha Lebna Al Qasimi
Minister of the Economy, United Arab Emirates
Power Factors: She’s out
to “put a face on the UAE,”
as she puts it. Sheikha
Lubna is not one to shy
away from the limelight or
try bold moves. First
shoved into the nightly
news as she tried to dissuade
fears over the attempt
of Dubai Ports
World to manage major
American ports, the
princess is on the move
promoting trade relations
in up to five to six countries
per month. In part referring
to her country’s revolutionary
man-made Palm Islands,
she says, "We're
building our brand name
from the ground up.”
And succeeding!
Golshifteh Farahani
Actress
Power Factors: Standing up to the president of any
country isn’t easy. In Iran it is unheard of; however the
award-winning actress Farahani pulled it off. In August,
she was banned from leaving the country to
work with Leonardo DiCaprio on the film “Body of
Lies.” Ultimately she appeared as DiCaprio’s love interest,
unveiled.
“Breaking through glass ceilings can only help those who pass after me,” she says.
Insider Sub stories