A United Arab Emirates initiative designed to promote gender equality has ended in internet farce after it emerged that all the prize winners were men.
UAE vice-president Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum handed out certificates and medals to winners for categories labelled “best federal authority supporting gender balance”, “best personality supporting gender balance”, “best gender balance initiative” and “best government entity supporting gender balance”.
Sheik Maktoum said that “the achievements of Emirati women today reaffirm the wise vision of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who believed in the importance of the role of women, and their right to work and become key partners in society.”
But those grand words fizzled out when official photos revealed that all the award recipients were men. Within minutes, the internet had started shredding the premise to ribbons.
. @HHShkMohd honors the winners of the Gender Balance Index 2018. The Index features three categories: Best Personality for Supporting Gender Balance, Best Federal Entity for Supporting Gender Balance, and the Best Initiative for Supporting Gender Balance. #UAE pic.twitter.com/qE5GkYHzTo
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) January 27, 2019
“I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you, but you forgot to invite WOMEN,” the Dubai Media Office, which posted a tweet with photos, was told.
"Wow really nailed the diversity there,” one person drily remarked on Twitter. “One of those dudes was wearing gray.”
“And they say satire is dead,” wrote another.
Despite the embarrassing gaffe, global indices suggest the UAE is one of the best-performing countries in its region when it comes to gender equality.
A United Nations index lists it as 34th in the world – up from 49th a year earlier – and just six places behind Malta.