Haifa Al Kaylani founded The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) in 2001 after seeing the need for a platform that supports and champions Arab women in the region and on an international scale. Having moved to The United Kingdom in 1976 alongside her late husband HE Ambassador Wajih Al Kaylani, where she saw the need for a platform that would bring together women from the Middle East and the UK and support them in economic inclusion and business opportunities. As the Chair of the non-profit development organisation Al Kaylani for over 20 years, Haifa has led tirelessly on salient economic and societal issues as well as structural and sustainability challenges that have greatly impacted women and youth in the Arab world and internationally. Her global advocacy, both on behalf of AIWF and in her personal, independent capacity, is held in the highest possible regard in international business, development, and policy circles.
In recent years, she has become an influential voice promoting the achievements and influence of women and youth in sustainability in the UK and the Arab world, with a special focus on climate action, sustainable agriculture, food security and water resilience in the MENA region and beyond. Her work was recently recognised as she was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in King Charles III’s New Year 2024 Honours List. This honour is in recognition of her services to Women, Young People and Cultural Relations between the UK and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Here, we find out more about what it means to her to be honoured, as well as the future outlook for the company.
Congratulations on receiving an OBE – tell us what this honour means to you.
It is a great honour, a humbling and exciting privilege to be on the New Year’s Honours List 2024 and to be recognised by His Majesty King Charles III for my work over three decades in supporting women’s issues, leading AIWF as well as working on many initiatives to increase the links between the Arab world and the UK and to bring women and young people together. It is a truly great honour by itself, but it also crystallises acknowledgement for over three decades of commitment, work, and dedication working for women and young people in the MENA, The United Kingdom, and globally.
How did you react when you received the news?
The news was first conveyed in writing through an official letter, and upon receiving the letter, I was really delighted and emotional to receive this recognition. It was a very heartwarming and joyful moment indeed.
Tell us about the AIWF and why you created the Forum in 2001.
I have been living in the UK since 1976, and whilst addressing women’s issues in my role as President of the International Federation for Women (FIWAL) in the UK, I realised that there were many misconceptions about women in the region. So I founded The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) as an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation to empower women in the Middle East and build bridges of knowledge and understanding between us all based on two main principles. Firstly, as a development economist, I truly believe that there is no economic, social or political development without women playing their rightful role within their communities, their economies and their countries. And secondly, I believe that the Arab World is part of the global community. This is why the Forum has been set up, to work within the region but always within an international context.
What are some of the biggest achievements so far?
AIWF works at the heart of the Arab world and internationally to facilitate collaboration, innovation, and capacity building, and to address critical development challenges for women and young people in the region at the highest levels. In all our work and initiatives, AIWF addresses salient development challenges for women and young people in the Arab world, bringing the public and private sectors, civil society, media and academia together to produce informed, action-driven recommendations and initiatives that directly benefit women and young people and positively impact the future of work for the MENA Region. AIWF is proud to have broken new ground throughout the 23 years of our journey. Some of the key initiatives launched and which are ongoing to this day include:
Women as Engines of Economic Growth
AIWF produced two landmark Reports and Recommendations in partnership with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 2005 and 2007 on Women as Engines of Economic Growth in the Arab World, which set a benchmark for capacity building and training, economic competitiveness, sustainable human development and advancing women’s economic participation in the MENA region. AIWF held two high-level conferences in Cairo, the first being Women in the Arab World, Partners in the Community and on the World Stage at the League of Arab States in Cairo in June 2004, marking the very first occasion that the League had co-hosted a women’s conference in the main Chamber of their headquarters and with a special address delivered by HE Mr Amre Moussa, former Secretary General of the League. This was followed in June 2005 with a second high-level conference in Cairo, Ten Years after Barcelona: Women and Integrated Rural Development, held with the valued cooperation of the League of Arab States and the support of the European Parliament, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and the World Bank to mark the tenth anniversary of the Barcelona Process.
The AIWF / PwC Young Arab Women Leaders Initiative
The Young Arab Women Leaders conference series was launched in London in 2011 as a platform to bring women leaders and mentors from government, business, and civil society together with women who aspire to community, business, and political leadership. Today, Young Arab Women Leaders is AIWF’s keystone empowerment initiative and has, to date, welcomed over 2,500 young women leaders to conferences across the Middle East.
The Young Arab Women Leaders conferences provide a platform for leading Arab and international women advocating sustainable solutions to critical global challenges through education, leadership and innovation.
AIWF is proud to share that in 2024, we will be pivoting the highly successful conference programme into a digital learning academy in partnership with PwC Middle East, offering on-demand, interactive skills-building opportunities to aspiring young women leaders to develop the confidence and capacity to progress in their careers.
The AIWF / IBA MENA Women Business Lawyers Initiative
AIWF partnered with the International Bar Association (IBA) in 2015 on a unique initiative to promote career progression, support the development of leadership skills for women lawyers, judges and professionals in the MENA region, and build skills and awareness of global standards in legal practice.
Women in Climate, Sustainability & STEM
In this key track, AIWF has always been especially proud to bring world-class specialists in the areas of sustainability, water resource management, refugee support and education, and women and youth empowerment together with representatives of leading international organisations, NGOs, academia, research institutes and the private sector.
These and many more of our conference initiatives have strengthened AIWF’s solid commitment to empowering women’s leadership in business and in public service and of AIWF’s ability to bring business, STEM, sustainability and international development leaders together to engage with complex issues that have real significance for women and young people in the region.
What is your current vision and direction for the group?
I am proud to be the President and founder of AIWF and also a Board Member working with the outstanding Chair of the Executive Committee, HE Mona Al Moayyed, as well as all the Board Members whom I greatly value. We will all continue to work on all the issues that are of concern in the region, such as job creation and supporting women’s role in the economy as without development and economic growth with women playing their rightful role there can never be stability or peace. We will enhance our work on women’s roles addressing sustainability and STEM, especially in the area of tech entrepreneurship and AI innovation where we see the need to develop the strength of women and celebrate their journeys in the sciences.
Why do you feel it is worthwhile to bring together women from the UK and the Middle East and create these collaborations?
From the early years of my work, I had the privilege to serve as an Ambassador’s wife in Tunisia, India, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka, and I have always believed that it is so important to build bridges of knowledge and understanding between our region and the international community, creating a platform for women within the 22 Arab countries to connect and communicate not only with each other but with their counterparts in the international community. In so doing, we can break stereotypes, better inform and learn from each other. I have always held the belief that without collaboration and working with others, you cannot succeed. We have built the Forum as a coalition-driven organisation and our strength over the years has been from enhancing collaboration with women’s organisations, with governments, academia, civil society, the private sector and the media.
What are some of the global issues that are important to you or close to your heart?
Without a doubt, international and regional development, sustainability, equality of opportunity, job creation, and maintaining dialogue, exchange and collaboration.
What is something you would still like to do with the Forum that you haven’t done yet?
Our journey through AIWF has been through an iterative approach, adopting initiatives based on the region’s needs and unique challenges. We are very present in the Middle East, with many of our Board Members and key partners based in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the GCC, and because our eyes and ears are in the region, we are able to develop problems that address critical and salient issues that have strong economic and development roots. All our initiatives have been designed to scale and foster change and make a real difference in women’s lives and confidence, by listening, learning, maintaining communication and fostering opportunities for collaboration within the region and the international development and business communities.
What are the main challenges you face in making sure your message is heard?
Truly, I did not face any challenges in getting our message across; we are from the heart of the region, and globally, what we are calling for is a partnership for women in the region to work hand in hand with their male counterparts. We treasure the roles of women in the heart of the home and also in the society, community, parliament, government, and diplomatic service, in all sectors and spheres. Throughout our 23 years, we have gathered friends because our approach is inclusive, working in partnership; we are there to make a positive change by working in partnership with our male counterparts to build a better future for our children and grandchildren.
With International Women’s Day coming up soon, who is a woman who has inspired you throughout your life?
My mother is the woman who has inspired me throughout my life. She was the mother of five daughters, and she gave us all her knowledge, time, education, love and support, but she also instilled in us a love of culture, languages, travel, theatre and the arts, and she was a strong believer that there was nothing her daughters could not do. Whenever I had difficult moments in my life, as when my late husband passed away, may he rest in peace, she was there for me, strengthening me with her faith, her wisdom, her love and ensuring that I maintained my journey. I owe her a great deal.
Are there any particular women you would like to give recognition to?
There are so many women I would like to give recognition to, in the Arab world as well as internationally, who have inspired and supported me and worked with me every step of the way. I would like to specifically acknowledge the wonderful women on the Founder Board of AIWF and the members of the current Board, all outstanding women leaders from whom I have learned so much over the years.
What are some of the projects you are working on currently?
In 2017, I embarked upon a transformational year at Harvard University as a Fellow of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative, having spent the last three decades as an international advocate for gender, sustainability, education and entrepreneurship as key drivers of empowerment and for women as true engines for economic growth in the region.
As a key outcome of my ALI Fellowship, with knowledge of the serious challenges that the region was facing with regard to food and water security and also specifically of the disproportionate impact that such inequality has on women and young people, I designed a project based on the social enterprise model that would allow for an innovative approach to revitalising sustainable agriculture in the MENA region.
The model engages the local community, especially women and young people, in sustainable agriculture through green technologies and through small-scale farming. Keeping the farms small scale is beneficial because it can be applicable, scalable, doable, affordable and attract a lot of attention from the wider community as well as from private local investors.
This is a true passion project for me, a development project focused on sustainability that alleviates poverty in rural areas , saves water and provides food security. There are two projects in Jordan currently running and there will be more projects in the future supporting women, young people and refugees in green jobs. I would like to see my project grow in the region and generate greater support for women whilst addressing sustainable agriculture, women, and climate change through the green economy and the empowerment of women and young people in that vital space.
What is a message you would send to women looking to embark on a new challenge?
Believe in yourself and make sure you study everything you are embarking on in depth. Be ready to defend it, present it, and gather support for it. Once you have all of that, don’t take no for an answer. Be diligent, persuasive, and tireless in the pursuit of doing good and bringing others up the ladder behind you.
What is the professional motto you live by?
A lesson a day. We learn every day, and we don’t know who we are learning from. It might be a younger or older friend or even something you read in the news. Keep your mind open, as without new knowledge, we cannot grow and develop. The more we learn, the more we need to learn.
What is a book or podcast you would recommend that has inspired you?
I have been an avid reader since childhood; any moment I am not doing anything, I am reading – I read widely on development, environment, fiction, classical literature, and on many subjects because I have many interests. I have an open mind for learning, and I read avidly and widely.
