Women and girls are chronically underfunded in the Middle East and will continue to be so without a fundamental change of those in senior positions, warns a new report published by the Pearl Initiative and the Zovighian Partnership.

The report warns that the restructuring of ‘philanthropic boards of family foundations, businesses, and public charities’ is needed as part of a ‘morally responsible strategy’, adding: ‘it is immeasurably harmful if organisations do not step up and transform.’ 

The stark warning is a conclusion to a report released in September which finds that less than half of Middle Eastern philanthropists support women and girls, though female philanthropists demonstrated ‘a clear pattern of giving to empower women and girls’, says the report.  

Half of female philanthropists gave to such causes, compared to just 20 per cent of male philanthropists. 

‘This finding presents a clear case for having empowered female decision-makers on boards and funding committees. Without them, women and girls are significantly less likely to receive support,’ warns the report.  

‘In the MENA [Middle East and North Africa] region, less than 17 per cent of seats in the national parliament are held by women, which significantly restricts policies and regulations regarding women and girls. In this environment, women and girls affected by economic, environmental, and political conflicts will continue to be barred from development and growth,’ it concludes, adding;  

‘Without access to philanthropic support, the region will be unable to fully leverage the potential of more than half its population.’ 

Women represented 70 per cent of a survey, with a total of 83 ‘next-generation’ philanthropists based in or from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the Levant and Egypt. A majority of 80 per cent were aged between 35 and 55 years of age.  

The report identified important predictors for investing in women and girls in the region. 

‘Next-generation philanthropists with higher annual giving budgets and those who consider empowerment to be an important value for giving are more likely to support initiatives aimed at women and girls,’ it says, with those who support women and girls ‘more likely to invest in youth and children.’  

Shafi Musaddique is the news editor of Alliance magazine