The High-Level Conference Women in Public Life : From Policies to Impact is jointly organised by the Supreme Council for Women in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the MENA-OECD Governance Programme. The conference aims to : Promote gender mainstreaming in public and private life for inclusive growth; Take stock of the progress made in implementing the regional recommendations included in the OECD-CAWTAR report “Women in Public Life: Gender, Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa”; Shift the debate from a focus on strategies to one centred on achieving impacts; Review the legal settings, policies, conditions and institutional capacities for gender mainstreaming in the MENA and OECD region.

1. 1
Women in Public Life
From Policies to Impact
The High-Level Conference “Women in Public Life: From Policies to Impact” is
jointly organised by the Supreme Council for Women in the Kingdom of Bahrain
and the MENA-OECD Governance Programme.
The focus of the conference is on promoting the participation of women in
public and private life for inclusive growth. It will aim to move the debate from
focus on strategies to achieving impacts. This conference will take stock on the
progress in implementing the regional recommendations to strengthen gender
equality in public life included in the OECD-CAWTAR report “Women in Public
Life: Gender, Law and Policy in the Middle East and North Africa”.
In this context, the high-level conference will gather leading policy-makers,
senior government officials, parliamentarians, partner international
organizations, representatives from non-governmental organizations, civil
society and the private sector to review the legal settings, conditions and
institutional capacities for integrating the gender considerations in policies and
programs across MENA and OECD countries.

2. 2
Day 1: 80th
December 2015
0 9 : 8 8 - 0 8 : 8 8 Registration and Welcome Reception
1 0 : 8 8 - 1 1 : 3 0 Opening Session
Welcome Remarks and Keynote Speeches
 H.E. Hala Al Ansari, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain.
 H.E. Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary General, Organisation for Economic Co-
operation and Development .
 H.E. Mohammed Al-Mutawa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Bahrain.
 H.E. Dr. Rima Khalaf, Executive Secretary for United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
 H.E. Mohamed Al Naciri Regional Director for Arab States, UN Women.
1 1 : 3 0 - 1 2 : 0 0 Break
1 2 : 0 0 - 1 4 : 0 0 Session 1: Promoting women’s participation in public life for inclusive
economic policies
The session will explore country practices and highlight progress in closing gender gaps in
public life and promoting women’s participation. In particular, it will focus on:
 Women’s access to public leadership positions and strengthening their voice.
 Incorporating gender considerations into budgets, policies and programmes.
 Impact of women’s participation in public life on inclusive growth and socio-economic
development.
Chair:
o H.E. Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance, Bahrain.
Speakers:
o H.E. Hayfaa F. H. AlAga, Minister of Women’s Affairs, Palestinian Authority.
o H.E. Mohamed Moubdi, Minister for Civil Service and Modernisation of
Administration, Morocco, Chair of the MENA-OECD Governance Initiative.
o H.E. Dr. Rima Khalaf, Executive Secretary for United Nations Economic and Social
Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
o H.E. Mary Hanafin, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation (former), Ireland.
o Ms. Ana Maria Salazar de la Guerra, General Coordinator for Technical Cooperation
Office in Egypt, Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, AECID.
1 4 : 0 0 - 1 5 : 0 0 Lunch

3. 3
Day 2: 89th December 2015
0 9 : 3 0 - 1 1 : 3 0 Session 2: Promoting access to equal opportunities in the private sector
This session will highlight country approaches, progress and remaining barriers to integrating
gender considerations in the private sector, including:
 Promoting access to equal opportunities and integrating women’s needs in the private
and corporate sector practices.
 The remaining institutional challenges and barriers for closing the gender gap in the
private sector and corporate boards.
 Impact of the access to equal opportunities on organisational performance in the private
sector and broader economy.
 Public-private collaboration for promoting access to equal opportunities.
Chair:
o H.E. Rasheed Al Maraj, Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.
Speakers:
o Mrs. Sabah Al Moayad, Managing Partner, Intellect Resource Management, Bahrain.
o Ms. Emanuella Pozzan, Senior Advisor on Gender Equality, Regional Office for Arab
States, International Labor Organization
o Ms. Nicola Ehlermann , Head of MENA Investment Programme, Global Relations
Secretariat, OECD.
o Dr. Boutros Klink, Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain and GCC, Standard Chartered
Bank.
1 1 : 3 0 - 1 2 : 0 0 Break
1 2 : 0 0 - 1 4 : 0 0 Session 3: Leveraging civil society to advance gender-responsive policies
This session will focus on exploring country practices with regard to the role of civil society
in promoting mainstreaming women’s needs. In particular, it aims to highlight:
 Role and achievements of civil society in promoting gender-responsive policies and laws.
 Capacity and tools of civil society organisations to promote gender-responsive practices.
Chair:
o H.E. Dr. Sameera Maziad Al-Tuwaijri, Senior Advisor, Health Policy Nutrition and
Population, World Bank.
Speakers:
o H.E. Dr. Fatima Al Balooshi, Former Minster of Social Development, Bahrain.
o Mrs. Houdna Bennani, President, L’Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc
o Mr. Amer Bany Amer, Founder and Director, Al Hayat Center, Jordan.
o Dr. Amani Kandil, Chief Executive of the Arab NGO Network, Egypt.
o Ms. Soukaina Bouraoui, Chair, MENA – OECD Women in Government Platform,
Executive Director, Centre for Arab Women Training and Research, Tunisia.
o Mr. Brian Aggeler, Director, Office of Assistance Coordination, Bureau of Near Eastern
Affairs, U.S. Department of State
1 4 : 0 0 - 1 5 : 0 0 Lunch

4. 4
Day 3: 08th December 2015
0 9 : 3 0 - 1 1 : 3 0 Session 4: Promoting equal opportunities in parliamentary and electoral
practices
The session will focus on exploring country approaches to promoting equal opportunities
within parliamentary and electoral practices. In particular, it aims to highlight:
 Good practices in MENA and OECD member countries in promoting equal opportunities
in legislation and policies.
 Remaining challenges and opportunities for building gender responsive parliaments in the
region, including women’s access to politics.
 Examples of effective national and international collaborations to promote gender
responsiveness within the legislative branch.
Chair:
o H.E. Mr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Jarwan, President of Arab Parliament.
Speakers:
o H.E. Hind Al Fayez, Member of Parliament, General Manager - Sama Amman, Jawaher
Media Agency, Sakher Ground Handling Services, Jordan.
o H.E. Dalal Al Zayed, Member of Shura Council, Bahrain.
o H.E. Ms. Nashwa El Deeb, Member of Parliament, Egypt.
o Ms. Silvana Koch-Mehrin, Founder and Chairperson, Women in Parliaments Global
Forum.
o Mr. Mohammed Hamimaz, Director of Cooperation, Minister of Interior, Morocco.
1 1 : 3 0 - 1 2 : 0 0 Break
1 2 : 0 0 - 1 4 : 0 0 Session 5: Building accountability for gender responsive policies – from
strategy to impact
The session will focus on exploring country approaches to building effective accountability
mechanisms to ensure the implementation of gender responsive policies and initiatives. In
particular, it aims to highlight:
o Role of accountability mechanisms in promoting the sustainability of gender responsive
policies in the public and private sectors.
o Practices in MENA and OECD countries to develop effective accountability mechanisms
for gender responsive policies.
o Mechanisms to measure and monitor progress towards the advancement and
empowerment of women and ensure transparency of reporting results.
Chair:
o Mr. Mohamed Al Naciri, UN Women Regional Director for Arab States.
Speakers:
o H.E. Ambassador Mara Marinaki, EEAS Principle Advisor on Gender & on the
Implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
o H.E. Ambassador Enas Sayd Makkawi, Director of Women, Family and Children's
Department, League of Arab States.
o Prof. Louise Morley, Professor of Education and Director of the Centre for Higher
Education and Equity Research, University of Sussex, UK.
o Ms. Tatyana Teplova, Deputy Head of Division, Territorial Development and Public
Governance, OECD.
1 4 : 0 0 - 1 4 : 3 0 Closing session
o H.E. Mr. José Ignacio Wert, Spanish Ambassador to the OECD and Co- Chair of the
MENA-OECD Governance Initiative.

5. 5
o Mr. Carlos Conde, Head of Middle East and Africa Division, OECD.
Final remarks and Recommendations
o H.E. Hala Al Ansari, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Women, Bahrain.
1 4 : 3 0 Lunch