alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720710211987843394" />I had the distinct honor of being able to join a number of the IAWP Board members as we traveled to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, to participate in the first ever Women Police Conference in the Gulf States, February 26th through the 28th. The conference theme was "Women Policing . . . New Horizon for Future". The Opening Ceremonies was held at the spectacular Emirates Palace. Between 400-500 women from throughout the Gulf States participated in this history making conference!
The training at the conference, which was held at the Intercontinental Hotel, was excellent, and each training class had standing room only in them, and a line of women outside the rooms hoping to be able to get in! It was a powerful experience, and the interactions they were able to have with each other, and that we were able to have with them, was priceless! It was also a new experience for me to have to wear headphones for translations from Arabic to English for many of the classes, and it gave me a completely different perspective on what others from around the world who have English as a second language often have to contend with when coming to conferences in North America. Many thanks to His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, U.A.E. Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Interior, and 1st Lt. Amnah Mohamed, the President of the Emirates Women Police Association (one of our newest IAWP Affiliates), who hosted and facilitated this first, of hopefully, many future conferences! And, special thanks to Region 16 Coordinator, Steph Harding, who was instrumental in helping put this successful conference together!
