President and Founder, Arab International Women’s Forum
Fellow, Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow 2017
Commissioner, ILO Global Commission on the Future of Work 2017-2019
Haifa Fahoum Al Kaylani is President and Founder of the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) recognized in Arab and international government, private sector and NGO circles as a high-impact change agent focussing on women’s leadership and youth empowerment, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, food and water security, education and the Future of Work, working for progress, inclusion, peace, and prosperity in the Arab region and internationally.
Haifa founded the Arab International Women’s Forum in London in 2001 as a development organization committed to supporting women’s leadership in social and economic growth in the MENA region and internationally, and creating equality of opportunity for all. Haifa served as the Chair of AIWF for 20 years and under her leadership, AIWF has become one of the world’s most respected development organizations for the economic empowerment of women and young people, working at the highest levels with a global network of corporate, institutional and global advocacy partners to advance momentum for women’s leadership in all sectors and spheres.
From its international base in London, under the sound leadership of Haifa Al Kaylani and through her wide high-level contacts in the Arab region and internationally, the Arab International Women’s Forum has nurtured deep-rooted ties with the MENA region, working at the heart of the Arab world and globally to bring women and young people in the UK and the MENA region together as international counterparts for experience exchange, new business development, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Haifa is a development economist, an alumna of the American University of Beirut and read for a Diploma in Economic Development at Oxford University. In January 2017, Haifa Al Kaylani became a Fellow of the Advanced Leadership Initiative at Harvard University as one of 46 global leaders selected for an intensive, multi-disciplinary program and yearlong Fellowship to research and address significant social problems, undertaking the Fellowship through 2017 to carry forward on a global level the mission to which she has devoted over three decades of her life – the empowerment and advancement of Arab women and youth through job creation, entrepreneurship, education, and economic empowerment, in the MENA region and internationally.
Haifa was the only Arab Commissioner to serve on the International Labour Organization’s Global Commission on the Future of Work (2017-2019). As an ILO Commissioner, Haifa contributed to the flagship report of the ILO published in January 2019, Work for a brighter future, which articulated the ILO framework for mitigating future of work challenges. She brings a wide range of skills and experience to her personal mission of encouraging greater cultural understanding and sustainable economic growth and reform, supporting a strong role for women and young leaders at the heart of that process.
Haifa holds senior roles in several cultural, educational, non-governmental UK, MENA and international organizations. She is a Board Member of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce in London, a Member of The Stimson EastWest Council on Track II Diplomacy, a Global Advisory Committee Member of QS, a member of the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative Director’s Advisory Council and a longstanding Harvard Women’s Leadership Board (WLB) Member, having been a member of the Harvard WLB for 20 years and a member of the WLB Executive Committee. In 2023, Haifa was appointed recently to the Board of MEDURABLE, a Paris-based non-profit Water Champions committed to advocating for peace and sustainable development.
Haifa is also an Advisory Board Member of the Global Thinkers Forum, a former Director of the East-West Institute in New York, former Advisory Board Member of the Imperial College Business School, and also served as an Advisory Board Member of the London Middle East Institute at the SOAS University of London. Haifa served, in 2012, on The Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance Chaired by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. She was also the first Honorary Member of the Euro- Mediterranean Association for Cooperation and Development (2012).
Haifa Al Kaylani received international recognition and numerous regional and global awards and honors during her voluntary service career, which speaks of the high regard in which she held. These rewards also recognize the significance of the contributions that she has made over the years and continues to make to advance women and young people in the Arab World, the UK and the global community. She remains an eloquent and compelling champion for many good causes, ensuring that women’s voices are heard, their contributions are recognized, and their priorities are addressed.
Some of the many awards that Haifa received include the following: Women in Business Arabia list as one of their 365 Inspiring Arab Women 2020, and inclusion in Cranfield University’s Women to Watch 2019 supplement launched alongside the Female FTSE Board Report. In 2018, Haifa was the honored recipient of the Outstanding Golden Shield Award presented by the Arab Women Council in Cairo for her exceptional efforts to enable and advance women and youth through education and economic opportunities in the MENA region and beyond. Also in 2018, she was honored by the American University of Beirut when she was named amongst the leading women alumni recognized and featured in the book For All Conditions of Men: Stories of Women at AUB.
Haifa was featured in Forbes Middle East’s LeaderBoard: Standing Out List of High Achievers in July 2017, recognized for her leadership of AIWF and her commitment as Founder Chairman to encouraging cultural exchange and understanding between communities and promoting gender equality around the world. In February 2018, she was included in the UK Muslim 100 Parliamentary Review. In May 2016, Ms Al Kaylani received an award presented by the Jordanian Embassy in London on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Independence of Jordan in recognition of her lifetime work and service to Jordan-UK relations.
In 2015, Haifa received The Pearl Initiative Recognition for a Career Focused on Arab Women in Leadership, presented by the Pearl Initiative Honorary Chairman HE Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development in the United Arab Emirates on the occasion of The Pearl Initiative and United Nations Global Compact Forum held in Dubai.
Title: "Innovation for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region Addressing Food and Water Security Challenges"
Abstract: The Arab region faces pressing challenges in ensuring food and water security amid increasing climatic vulnerabilities. Addressing these issues requires a two-fold approach: proactive water security and hydrodiplomacy; and a concerted, cohesive international effort to address food insecurity in a region that relies heavily on international imports. In both areas of water scarcity and food security, scientific advancements have emerged as significant enablers for innovation and solution-building. Techniques such as drip irrigation, rain harvesting, and cloud seeding are playing pivotal roles in water conservation. Further, recycling and water purification systems promise sustainable water solutions. A notable innovation is hydroponics, which, by facilitating plantation in greenhouses, can save up to 70% water. Both low-tech and high-tech hydroponics are reshaping the agricultural landscape in water-scarce regions, offering affordable solutions and rejuvenating farmer communities. Complementing these are energy-efficient practices, with a notable shift towards solar energy usage in the region. Drones, too, are revolutionizing agriculture by measuring water levels, soil quality, and optimizing fertiliser use—a trend now increasingly observed in the MENA region, as well as other regions. In all of the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) international advocacy on food, water and sustainable agriculture, we believe that special emphasis must be given to the role of women, who remain at the frontline of addressing climate change, embodying resilience; and to youth, who are the future of the region. To this end, AIWF is collaborating closely at COP28 with our partners in the institutional and private sectors, including Masdar in the UAE, and the League of Arab States, as well as a coalition of partners drawn from civil society organizations. It is our firm belief that by leveraging technological innovation and fostering multi-sectoral, multilateral partnerships spanning the MENA States and working closely with other affected and neighboring regions, we can navigate towards a sustainable future for the Arab region in the important lead-up to the 2030 SDGs watershed.