Media personality and CEO of Pyramedia, Nashwa Al Ruwaini participated in a conference held by the Gulf Centre for Statistical Research, under the auspices of the Supreme Council for Women, headed by Sheikha Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, on Tuesday in the capital of Bahrain, Manama. The conference, which hosted key members of the press, announced the results of a study of Bahraini women in the 2006 elections, their opportunities and challenges and discussed the role of Bahraini women in support of the parliamentary elections that took place in November 2006.  The conference was designed to openly discuss the results and analysis from this survey and highlight the pros and cons of women’s participation in the 2006 Bahraini elections.

Nashwa was invited to moderate the conference as a result of her recent efforts to support and open dialogue in Arab communities on the status of women.  Nashwa has dedicated a number of segments on her weekly talk show aired on Dubai TV to womens issues and the empowerment of women in the workforce.

Said Nashwa, “The results of this survey serves as a message to every Arab woman asserting that she deserves attention, that there is no uniform model of thinking and what unites us is reflected in our large contributions to society through our professional lives, our families and our powerful values. The size of the role played by Bahraini women in supporting economic, social and cultural development in Bahraini society has seen a huge growth with many contributions to constitutional amendments made to the Bahraini Constitution in 2002 including principles that have supported women’s development in the constitution.”

Also speaking at the press conference alongside Nashwa were Lulwa Al Awadi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women and Sayed Agha, the resident Regional Director of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) who spoke of the role of the UNDP in the implementation of the study with reference to his role in executing a political empowerment program in the 2006 elections.

Dr. Omar Al Hassan, Director General of the Gulf Center for Strategic Studies, and Youssef Al Hashemi, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Institute for Political Development also took part in the conference.  Dr. Al Hassan talked about the methodology and scientific methods that were followed in preparation for the study while Mr. Al Hashemi discussed the role of the Institute in implementing the recommendations of the study through training programs.

An open debate was held after the conference discussing women’s participation in future elections with a special focus on the upcoming 2010 elections.  The debate hosted members of the Shura Council, press, representatives from various government departments, civil organizations and local feminists.  The outcome of the debate proved extremely positive with pledges of support and empowerment for women in the political and public spheres.