PRESS RELEASE 15 March 2014 –  Iraqi Kuwaiti Businesswomen Forum in Baghdad

On Saturday 15 March 2014, the Iraqi Kuwaiti Businesswomen Forum opened at the Al-Rasheed hotel in Baghdad. Dr. Qusai Al-Suhaeel, Deputy Speaker of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Dr. Ibtihal Al-Zaidi, Chairman of the National Investment Commission and H.E. the Kuwaiti Ambassador to Iraq were among the dignitaries attending the forum. The sponsors of the forum were Ms. Hamdiyah Al-Jaff, Chairman of the Trade Bank of Iraq and Ms. Sara Akbar, Executive Director of Kuwait Energy. Many Iraqi and Kuwaiti businesswomen also attended the one day forum.

Ms. Hamdiyah Al-Jaff welcome the distinguished guests and reminded them of both the sufferings of Iraqi women during the era of the previous regime and their sacrifices since 2003. She also hailed the role and the success of Iraqi women in various fields.

Dr. Ibtihal Al-Zaidi, stressed the increase in the number of Iraqi women leading business in Iraq – currently close to 1083 business projects. The number of Iraqi women that have joined the Chamber of Commerce has increased to 6060 whilst there are 16 centers for businesswomen.

Furthermore, Ms. Sara Akbar congratulated Ms. Hamdiyah Al-Jaff for being listed among the world’s 100 most influential women. She added that the main purpose of the forum is to help and empower Iraqi and Kuwaiti women toward development and cooperation.

Many businesswomen vowed to strive for further cooperation and support with one another and to utilize information technology in their business. Additionally, they committed to the importance of training in order to empower women in the region as in the rest of the world.