The Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) has launched a new book: Domains of Influence: Arab Women Business Leaders in a New Economy.

Domains of Influence, which was produced in partnership with Jacqueline Hassink and the World Bank, depicts the dual role of the modern, accomplished Arab woman, both at home and at work, and provides a welcome antidote to the current trend of marginalisation and misrepresentation of Arab women in the contemporary media, said an official spokesman.

”This book is a unique testament to the impact of prominent Arab women in today’s global environment of entrepreneurship and empowerment and to the vast economic reform that has revitalized Arab Nations in recent years,” said chairwoman of the AIWF Haifa Al Kaylani.

“We are very proud to have worked closely with the Jacqueline Hassink and the World Bank in exploring the private and business domains of some of the most prominent women in the Arab world,” Kaylani added.

The book was released during the Dubai conference on Powering the Future: Arab Business Women in a Modern Economy, which opened yesterday (December 10) at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

The two-day conference, the first for AIWF in Dubai, is the culmination of their 2007 Programme, Globalisation, Trade and Entrepreneurship, which explores the financing of female entrepreneurship in the Arab world, best practices in corporate governance, and the economic environment for the next generation of women entrepreneurs.

The book includes an essay by prominent economist Dr Heba Handoussa which provides the background for this remarkable study into Arab women as business leaders and entrepreneurs. The World Bank, whose work in the MENA region has encouraged many entrepreneurial initiatives and monitored the growth of women’s empowerment, have given their full support. 

Art photographer Jacqueline Hassink is internationally recognised for her representations of the world of economic power. Designed by award-winning book designer Irma Boom, this beautifully illustrated, full-colour work is introduced by leading photography critic Charlotte Cotton and published by I B Tauris.

Domains of Influence follows Hassink’s earlier works on women entrepreneurs in Europe, Canada and the US. – TradeArabia News Service