On March 14, 2019, the WFPG hosted a conversation on Advancing Women’s Empowerment in Bahrain and the Middle East with HE Hala Mohammed Jaber Al Ansari, Secretary General of Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Women, moderated by the Honorable Mary Beth Long, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush. The conversation covered women’s leadership in governance and the unique role of the Supreme Council for Women in advising the King of Bahrain and parliament on gender perspectives across policymaking. They also discussed the status of women in Bahrain and the greater Gulf region, including improvements in women’s economic inclusion, the role of the media, and support for female entrepreneurs. The conversation was followed by audience Q&A and a luncheon at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. WFPG Members in attendance were joined by representatives of the Embassy of Bahrain esteemed members of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Delegation to the 63rd Session of the Commission on the Status of Women held at United Nations Headquarters in New York City in the days immediately preceding this event.

H.E. Hala Al Ansari, Supreme Council for Women of Bahrain		Moderator Hon. Mary Beth Long, Global Alliance Advisors, LLC
Shaika Aisha Al Khalifa and Shaikh Abdullah bin Rashed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Ambassador of Bahrain listen to the program		H.E. Hala Al Ansari and Mary Beth Long during the conversation
WFPG Board Member Allison Ford of United Technologies during the luncheon		Mary Beth Long, Ambassador Al Khalifa, and WFPG Corporate Council Member Nancy Ziuzin Schlegel of Lockheed Martin Corporation

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