QATAR NOMINATION FOR THE 2008 SECRETARY'S AWARD

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000986 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN KPAO PREL PHUM QA SUBJECT: QATAR NOMINATION FOR THE 2008 SECRETARY'S AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE REF: SECSTATE 126072 ¶1. Embassy Doha nominates Amal Abdullatif Al Mannai to receive the Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage for 2008. Amal Al-Mannai has been informed of her nomination and was flattered by the news. Requested information follows: Full Legal Name: Amal Abdullatif Al-Mannai Job Title/Association: General Manager of the Qatar Social Development Center Date of Birth: 12 AUG 1962 Country of Birth: Qatar Citizenship: Qatari Address: Qatar Social Development Center, Box 3509, Doha, Qatar Telephone: 974 4927027 Fax: 974 4801971 Mobile: 974 5050222 Email: info@qf.org.qa Passport Number: 00610318 ¶2. While outwardly progressive in many respects, Qatar remains a deeply conservative tribal society in which women rarely benefit from the rights they theoretically enjoy under Qatari law. The rights - and protection - of women have been, until recently, a priority for only a small minority in Qatari government. Amal Al-Mannai deserves great credit for changing that perception and for opening Qatari society for the prospect of full participation by women. Justification for the award follows: - Amal Al-Mannai is a pioneer in the field of social work, specifically in support of women and the family, in Qatar. She was appointed in 1996 General Manager of the Qatar Social Development Center (SDC),one of the most successful, well-known developmental organizations in the country. During her tenure, Al-Manai has been successful in making development of the family and the community in Qatar the primary focus of the center through well-designed programs that promote community involvement in encouraging family stability and self sufficiency. - Al-Mannai has several years of wide-ranging experience with social projects management in both the government and the private sector. Under her supervision, a number of successful and ambitious projects and programs have been launched, such as the Micro-Star Project, a supportive tool to encourage women and men, either alone or as a group, to develop private businesses, and the Business Development Program, which is designed to search, assess and finalize business ideas to be transformed into investment opportunities. - Al-Mannai played a great role in enhancing the family's ability for self-reliance by launching industrial projects within her center to create job and training opportunities for low-income families. The recipients increased their financial status through the Social Development Projects, which are tools to offer business opportunities for active families and individuals who have the ability to produce products or services, enabling them to actively achieve independence and financial self-sufficiency by influencing work values in society. - Al-Mannai engaged in extensive discussions with the ILO Regional Office for Arab States on encouraging Qatari nationals (women and men) to start their own businesses rather then relying on employment opportunities in the public sector. Her discussions resulted in the establishment of a Small and Medium Enterprise Development Center focused on Qatari nationals. This center has contributed to the national goal of providing employment opportunities to Qataris in the private sector, which leads to effective economic and social participation of Qatari nationals in the development of their nation. - Al-Mannai, through the SDC, in cooperation with the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs, established the Charity Dialysis Unit Project. This project aims to help expatriate kidney failure patients who are not able to afford the cost of treatment. A specialized dialysis unit was opened at Hamad Hospital, where individuals donated seven dialysis machines. - Al-Mannai participates in various committees and taskforce groups such as the "Children Rights Agreement", the "Gender Committee" and the "National Strategic Women Development Committee". - Al-Mannai received a BS in Economics in 1985 and a High Diploma in Public Policy and Management from London DOHA 00000986 002 OF 002 University. ¶3. Post appreciates the opportunity to honor Amal Al-Mannai's contributions to the development of women and the family in Qatar. RATNEY