ECB President Christine Lagarde: "We cannot afford to leave talented women behind".

The greatest challenges of our time demand the minds of talented women, and the Women's Pavilion at Dubai World Expo 2020 in partnership with Cartier is an "excellent and timely" reminder of the women who have led the charge for positive change in our societies, said Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB).

"We simply cannot afford to leave talented women behind as we tackle the big challenges ahead, like climate change, like inequality," Lagarde said at the pavilion's opening, delivering her remarks virtually alongside in-person speakers, including Reem al-Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO of Expo 2020 Dubai.

"Fresh ideas and innovative solutions, such as those showcased [at the Women's Pavilion], are needed if we are to build a more sustainable and inclusive economy," Lagarde added, describing the Women's Pavilion as a "celebration of all those women, seen and unseen, who have pioneered social change".

Lagarde, who was France's first finance minister, the first managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the first president of the ECB, said: "It was Abraham Lincoln who said 'the best way to predict your future is to create it'. Let us take up that challenge together.

Under the exhibition entitled 'New Perspectives', the Women's Pavilion in collaboration with Cartier invites visitors to recognise the central role that women have played throughout history, right up to the present day, and celebrates their significant, yet often overlooked, contributions to the advancement of society.

Reem al-Hashimy said: "Along with the non-negotiable values of tolerance, inclusion and opportunity for all, women's equality and empowerment is not a choice, but a necessity. And so, in the half century of our modern existence, we have emerged as a proof point for the principle that when women thrive, all of society thrives".

For her part, Mona Ghanem al-Marri, Director General of the Dubai Government Media Office and Vice Chairperson of the UAE Gender Balance Council, noted that "while governments play an important role in promoting women's empowerment, they cannot succeed without meaningful partnerships with the private sector, civil societies and committed individuals".

"When I am asked what the defining moment of my career has been, without hesitation I say when I met [my wife]," said Cyrille Vigneron, president and CEO of Cartier International. "She really made me. For many men, it's like that, but we don't recognise it."

The pavilion addresses gender equality and women's empowerment, while highlighting the challenges women still face, especially as the world navigates the COVID-19 pandemic and works towards a more sustainable future.

Text, photos and videos: Dubai Expo 2020.