Hospitality Leaders Launch Middle East North Africa Initiative to Expand Employment Pathways for 9,050 Women

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Senior leaders from the UAE hospitality sector gathered on 2 July 2026 at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai, for the Sustainable Progress League event, “The Next Chapter.” The evening marked the launch of the Surging Women’s Employment Initiative (SWEI), a collaboration between Diversey, a Solenis company, and UN Women to expand training and employment pathways for women across the region, beginning with a 90-day pilot program in the UAE.

Building on two years of industry collaboration, the gathering brought together 40 hotel decision-makers from 15 hospitality brands to move from ambition to measurable action across women’s employment, sustainability and workforce development. At its center was a shared regional goal: to support training and employment pathways for 9,050 women across the hospitality value chain by 2030.

From ambition to measurable action

SWEI is grounded in the recognition that women's economic participation is central to building a more resilient, innovative and inclusive hospitality sector across Middle East North Africa (MENA). The initiative integrates women's employment, circular economy solutions and vocational workforce pathways into a single model, aligned with participating organizations' existing policies and business priorities.

The work begins with a 90-day pilot program in the UAE, designed around defined performance indicators. The pilot invites leading hospitality organizations and hotel groups to take part, nominate pilot properties and program champions and help establish a scalable model for future expansion across the wider MENA hospitality sector. By 2030, SWEI aims to work with signatory hotels to support 9,050 new jobs for women, alongside targets for training, certification and placement across the sector.

Turning commitment into practice: Linens For Life™ and Karama

The event spotlighted two initiatives that demonstrate practical approaches to circularity and structured pathways into hospitality employment. Diversey Linens For Life™, a circular textile program, gives hospitality textiles a responsible second life while supporting community benefit. Karama, a digital training platform, equips women with the skills and structured pathways needed to enter and progress within the hospitality workforce. Together, the two programs illustrate how sustainability and social impact can reinforce one another, linking circular resource use with tangible opportunities for women's employment and advancement.

“A gathering of friends and family, as I should say, started with a simple conversation about doing something meaningful. All of us have a duty and a commitment to do the right thing, to take all our thoughts and wishes forward into something deeper and more meaningful." said Amit Nayak, Vice President and Executive Board Member, HAMA MEA

"Women make up just 9% of the hospitality workforce in the Middle East - the lowest share of any world region, and well below the global average of 56%. Through an innovative partnership between the hospitality sector and UN Women, we are developing a time bound road map to shift the current 9% women workforce to 20% by 2030. We believe its possible given the projected growth of the hospitality sector in MENA" said Susanne Mikhail, Director, Women Employment in the Green, STEM and Care Economy, UN Women

“The commitments made tonight reflect precisely what the International Year of Sustainable and Resilient Tourism 2027 calls for, which is measurable, industry-led actions that place women's employment and decent work at the heart of tourism's transformation in our region. Tourism is uniquely positioned to drive this change, and what we are witnessing today is the kind of practical, scalable model that 2027 is built to elevate.” said Samer Alkharashi, Director, UN Tourism Regional Office for the Middle East

Somer Gündoğdu, Vice President and General Manager, Emerging Markets and North Asia, Diversey added “Diversey, a Solenis company, takes huge pride in partnering with UN Women to walk down this path. But we cannot do this alone. This is the start of a great journey.”

A collective effort

The Sustainable Progress League event was convened in collaboration with Diversey, UN Women, the Dubai Hospitality Business Group, the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) Middle East & Africa, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, and the SERA Foundation, bringing together an intimate, action-oriented group of senior leaders committed to shaping the next phase of collective progress in the region's hospitality sector. The initiative supports the goals of UN Women; participation does not constitute an endorsement by UN Women of any private-sector partner, its activities, products, or services.

Regional Context

Women make up just 9% of the hospitality workforce in the Middle East, the lowest share of any world region, and well below the global average of 56%. By comparison, women account for 78% of hospitality workers in Africa, 61% in East Asia and the Pacific, 58% in the Americas, and 53% in Europe.

These figures underline both the scale of the opportunity and the reason initiatives such as SWEI matter for the region. With women representing a small share of the sector's workforce today, expanding access to training, employment, and advancement offers significant potential to strengthen the hospitality industry across MENA. It is against this backdrop that SWEI sets its ambition to support employment pathways for 9,050 women across the hospitality value chain.

Source: International Labour Organization (2024), ILOSTAT, Employment by sex and economic activity (ISIC rev. 4 category I: Accommodation and Food Service Activities); sample of 187 countries and territories.

Note to Editors

SWEI (the Surging Women's Employment Initiative) is a collaboration involving UN Women, Diversey, a Solenis Company, and industry partners, working toward training and creating employment pathways for 9,050 women across the hospitality value chain by 2030. The initiative launches with a voluntary 90-day pilot program in the UAE. Participation is voluntary and does not create any legal, financial, or contractual obligation; any future engagement with SWEI or its partners is subject to separate discussion and mutual agreement.

Use of the UN Women name and logo: References to UN Women in this release are made in support of, and in collaboration with, UN Women. They do not imply endorsement by UN Women of Diversey, a Solenis Company, or of any partner, product, or service. Any use of the UN Women name or Partnership Logo must follow UN Women's Guidance on the Use of Name and Partnership Logo by the Private Sector and must be preceded by qualifying language (e.g., “in support of”). The UN Women official logo and UN emblem may not be used by private-sector partners. UN Women to review all references to UN Women prior to publication.