Asking for the stern need of mitigating gender disparities in the UAE, the Minister of Foreign Trade Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi said that women empowerment is the need of the hour.

The Minister, speaking at a Symposium organized by Barnard College, backed for equal employment opportunities for women. She said that women should be encouraged to come outside the boundaries of the houses for becoming the part of growth stories of the society.

Sheikha Lubna, the first female Minister of UAE, hailed the role of such symposiums for erasing the stereotypes of the women in the conservative Middle-East society. This is due to such programs that increased women partnership in the UAE's small to medium sized enterprises.

She told, "In many parts of the Middle East, family, cultural, business and political structures still limit the full development of women's potential."

Moufida Tlatli, Tunisian born international film director said that women can better help for the liberalization of the women and thus they must be offered equal opportunities without any gender bias.