ACCIONA has organized a round table session in Dubai to present the Homeward Bound project, a global initiative that aims to promote the leadership of women in climate science.
The event took place at the Spanish Pavilion of the EXPO 2020 on Friday 11th of February to mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
Founded in 2015, Homeward Bound promotes the leadership of women in STEMM. This project aims to build, in a decade, a network of 10,000 women working together across the Planet for a shared future.
ACCIONA, a global pioneer in sustainable solutions for energy and infrastructure, is a strategic partner of Homeward Bound, as the two organizations have found common cause in a commitment to women’s contribution in our world today.
The UAE is also committed to decarbonizing its economy. It was the first country in the Middle East to commit to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by mid-century.
The roundtable session in Dubai brought together Fabian Dattner, Homeward Bound Project Founder; Lourdes Vega, Director of the Research and Innovation Center on CO2 and Hydrogen (RICH Center) in Khalifa University and Marta Fernández Fernández, Chief Experience Officer of JUMIA, an e-commerce group.
The event was attended by high school students from Sunmarke School of Dubai and from Khalifa University.
To date, Homeward Bound has brought together women from more than 56 nationalities and 46 scientists in a mentorship program that aims to hone their leadership, skills, visibility and global networking.
HOMEWARD BOUND PROGRAM
Homeward Bound is a 12-month program with online content and collaborative learning, centered on four pillars: leadership, strategy, communication and science. This year marks the seventh edition of the program. Before the pandemic, the program culminated in a three-week trip expedition to Antarctica, where the participating women observed firsthand the impact of human activity on the frozen continent.
By bringing female scientists together, Homeward Bound aims to create a network of women with the skills and will to create a more sustainable future. The goal of the program is to forge personal and professional bonds between the participants, enrich teamwork, and generate new initiatives to advance real solutions to some of most pressing global concerns.
Getting more women involved in STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a key priority for ACCIONA, the Homeward Bound project, and many national governments. According to UNESCO, only 28% of the world’s researchers are women. In the Middle East, the participation of women in STEM subjects is higher than the global average, and in countries such as UAE and Saudi Arabia, 60% of science graduates are women. However, social and cultural norms mean that few female science graduates go on to have careers in their subjects.
