The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of the United Arab Emirate's (UAE) first Women in Nuclear (WiN) chapter, the worldwide organization that encourages and supports women working in the global nuclear industry.
Her Excellency Sheikha LubnaBint Khalid Al Qasimi, minister of International Cooperation and Development, supports the agency.
“I am extremely proud to be supporting the ENEC WiN Chapter,” Al Qasimi said. “Developing women in such an important industry that will enhance the future social and economic growth of our nation is innovative as well as necessary. Women have an important role in communicating the benefits of nuclear energy and reassuring society on the facts about health and safety. The UAE’s commitment to ongoing development is recognized internationally as setting a high standard.”
ENEC also is actively involved in supporting women in the nuclear industry through its Energy Pioneers scholarship program.
“To safely deliver a project of the scale and complexity of the UAE peaceful nuclear energy program, it takes a large and diverse team, and I am proud that of our 1,400 employees today, over 21 percent of these highly skilled professionals are female, more than the global average of just over 20 percent for females in nuclear professions worldwide,” Mohamed Al Hammadi, ENEC’s chief executive officer, said.
WiN is the first organization of its kind based in the Middle East.
“These talented females are playing an active role in delivering a project that will have a direct and lasting impact on the continued growth and development of our nation, contributing to an industry that will deliver up to a quarter of the nation’s energy needs by 2020,” Huda Al Hashimi, ENEC’s group external affairs director, said. “ENEC is committed to providing a world-class and supportive working environment for all our employees, and the success of our WiN chapter over the past year is yet another example of how we are bringing this vision to life.”