07/06/2009
Women of the Week
Dr. Rola Dashti, (BPW Kuwait Member) winner of King Hussein Humanitarian award for year 2009, listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007 & 2008, the Chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society, and the promoter of BPW Kuwait was one of the women candidates contesting the elections
In the countdown to the parliamentary elections on Saturday 16 May in Kuwait, there was giddying activity in election Campaigns of all candidates.
Dr. Rola Dashti, winner of King Hussein Humanitarian award for year 2009, listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007 & 2008, the Chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society, and the promoter of BPW Kuwait was one of the women candidates contesting the elections. The First Vice President, Ms Maali Alasousi was closely working in election campaign for Dr. Dashti.
The Young BPW representative for Kuwait Ms. Ghanima Al Otaibi was actively mobilizing young adults to participate in the voting process, generally.
Some other members of BPW Kuwait were managing or involved in campaigns of other candidates.
Women in Kuwait were granted right to vote and stand for the parliamentary elections in May 2005. Dr. Dashti had actively lobbied for this democratic reform. The parliamentary election in 2006 was the first election where women could vote, and stand for elections; Dr. Dashti was the first woman to file papers at the Election Department, and contested the elections in 2006. She also contested elections in 2008.
However, women candidates were unable to win parliamentary elections.
As an expatriate, I viewed the whole process from the sidelines, and was amazed at the interest this election had taken ground among the young generation, especially women.
‘Opportunity to women’ to make change by voting for them, was resonating at work, cafés, and Diwaniyas.
So, when this time the counting started, the air was thick with anticipation.
By the early hours of Sunday, history was created; Dr. Dashti, and three other women candidates were elected to the parliament.
The elation of this historic moment was so overwhelming that, Maali hugged her, and burst out in tears.
Soon after this historic victory, speaking to a leading local daily, Dr. Dashti said ‘The historic victory has put women on the Kuwaiti Parliamentary political map, where they will join their male counterparts in legislative decision making’.
Messages and greetings streamed in from all around the world, volunteers jubilantly celebrated, supporters came to extend their good wishes at the reception that followed this historic victory.
Women organizations came together to celebrate. Elected women members in subsequent interviews began outlining their vision.
This is a historic beginning with the hallmark of a profound legacy in making.
Dr. Rola Dashti, is a winner of King Hussein Humanitarian award for year 2009, listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007, and is a member of advisory council for Arab Human Development Report for 2008. She is presently the elected Chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society (first woman to chair the society since its establishment in 1970), whose mission is to advocate competitive and transparent economic reform policies, empower a generation of professionals and entrepreneurs, and build informed knowledgeable community.
In addition, Dr. Dashti is a member of the executive committee of Young Arab Leaders (Kuwait Chapter), which is a network of empowered Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives and experienced unprecedented levels of success for their age and are eager to trigger change in the world around them through spreading modern leadership values and fostering the development of future Arab leaders and help bridge the awareness gap between the Arab region and the rest of the world.
Rola Dashti earned her PhD in Population Economics from Johns Hopkins University in 1992, where she also lectured, conducted and managed research in development and applied economics particularly in regard to the country’s recent quest for modernizing its economic, financial, and social processes.
Dr Dashti is currently heading an international consultancy firm in Kuwait focusing on privatization, and activation of SMEs.
She has held key positions in R&D institutions such as the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (Manager, Economics Department), and worked for major local and international financial and development institutions (Senior Economist at the National Bank of Kuwait and provided consultancy to the World Bank). She also managed all the contracts signed on behalf of the government of Kuwait for the Emergency and Reconstruction Program during the invasion-to-post liberation period (1990/1991).
Dr. Dashti has been involved in several volunteering activities since her undergraduate years, where she worked with the International Red Cross in Lebanon to assist refugee families from the south in 1982. She was involved in various activities for the economic empowerment of women in the Republic of Yemen.
Dr Dashti is a leading activist in the MENA region advocating democratic reform and fighting for gender equity and increasing role for women in public life.
Dr. Dashti also contributed to the efforts towards energizing civil society institutions to turn them into a major driving force behind economic, social, and political reform. Developing work in these institutions also became one of her focus of interest after her election as chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society. Recently, Dr. Dashti has been elected as secretary for the Board of Foundation for the Future.
http://www.bpw-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179:woman-of-the-week-06&catid=54:woman-of-the-week&Itemid=192.
Name: Women of the Week
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In the countdown to the parliamentary elections on Saturday 16 May in Kuwait, there was giddying activity in election Campaigns of all candidates.
Dr. Rola Dashti, winner of King Hussein Humanitarian award for year 2009, listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007 & 2008, the Chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society, and the promoter of BPW Kuwait was one of the women candidates contesting the elections. The First Vice President, Ms Maali Alasousi was closely working in election campaign for Dr. Dashti.
The Young BPW representative for Kuwait Ms. Ghanima Al Otaibi was actively mobilizing young adults to participate in the voting process, generally.
Some other members of BPW Kuwait were managing or involved in campaigns of other candidates.
Women in Kuwait were granted right to vote and stand for the parliamentary elections in May 2005. Dr. Dashti had actively lobbied for this democratic reform. The parliamentary election in 2006 was the first election where women could vote, and stand for elections; Dr. Dashti was the first woman to file papers at the Election Department, and contested the elections in 2006. She also contested elections in 2008.
However, women candidates were unable to win parliamentary elections.
As an expatriate, I viewed the whole process from the sidelines, and was amazed at the interest this election had taken ground among the young generation, especially women.
‘Opportunity to women’ to make change by voting for them, was resonating at work, cafés, and Diwaniyas.
So, when this time the counting started, the air was thick with anticipation.
By the early hours of Sunday, history was created; Dr. Dashti, and three other women candidates were elected to the parliament.
The elation of this historic moment was so overwhelming that, Maali hugged her, and burst out in tears.
Soon after this historic victory, speaking to a leading local daily, Dr. Dashti said ‘The historic victory has put women on the Kuwaiti Parliamentary political map, where they will join their male counterparts in legislative decision making’.
Messages and greetings streamed in from all around the world, volunteers jubilantly celebrated, supporters came to extend their good wishes at the reception that followed this historic victory.
Women organizations came together to celebrate. Elected women members in subsequent interviews began outlining their vision.
This is a historic beginning with the hallmark of a profound legacy in making.
Dr. Rola Dashti, is a winner of King Hussein Humanitarian award for year 2009, listed among the world’s 100 most powerful Arabs in 2007, and is a member of advisory council for Arab Human Development Report for 2008. She is presently the elected Chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society (first woman to chair the society since its establishment in 1970), whose mission is to advocate competitive and transparent economic reform policies, empower a generation of professionals and entrepreneurs, and build informed knowledgeable community.
In addition, Dr. Dashti is a member of the executive committee of Young Arab Leaders (Kuwait Chapter), which is a network of empowered Arab men and women who have seen the power of action in their own lives and experienced unprecedented levels of success for their age and are eager to trigger change in the world around them through spreading modern leadership values and fostering the development of future Arab leaders and help bridge the awareness gap between the Arab region and the rest of the world.
Rola Dashti earned her PhD in Population Economics from Johns Hopkins University in 1992, where she also lectured, conducted and managed research in development and applied economics particularly in regard to the country’s recent quest for modernizing its economic, financial, and social processes.
Dr Dashti is currently heading an international consultancy firm in Kuwait focusing on privatization, and activation of SMEs.
She has held key positions in R&D institutions such as the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (Manager, Economics Department), and worked for major local and international financial and development institutions (Senior Economist at the National Bank of Kuwait and provided consultancy to the World Bank). She also managed all the contracts signed on behalf of the government of Kuwait for the Emergency and Reconstruction Program during the invasion-to-post liberation period (1990/1991).
Dr. Dashti has been involved in several volunteering activities since her undergraduate years, where she worked with the International Red Cross in Lebanon to assist refugee families from the south in 1982. She was involved in various activities for the economic empowerment of women in the Republic of Yemen.
Dr Dashti is a leading activist in the MENA region advocating democratic reform and fighting for gender equity and increasing role for women in public life.
Dr. Dashti also contributed to the efforts towards energizing civil society institutions to turn them into a major driving force behind economic, social, and political reform. Developing work in these institutions also became one of her focus of interest after her election as chairperson of Kuwait Economic Society. Recently, Dr. Dashti has been elected as secretary for the Board of Foundation for the Future.
http://www.bpw-international.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=179:woman-of-the-week-06&catid=54:woman-of-the-week&Itemid=192.
