Following our founding year in 2012, we have focused on sharing our vision in both Sweden and the UAE in 2013. The main goal, as a small startup NGO, has been to grow our network allowing W4SG to increase our activities and to work more effectively towards our mission.

At the core of our work in 2013, we have emphasized our organization’s role in increasing trust and engagement between Scandinavia and the Gulf. We have focused on running programs and events for female leaders predominantly from Sweden and the UAE.

We have been increasing engagement and understanding in two ways: one, conducting capacity building and training programs for female leaders, and two, building and supporting a network with events and activities.

There has also been a focus on developing long-term strategic partnerships with government agencies, companies and civil society organizations that share our mission. This includes signing a few MoU’s but also receiving funding for projects from organizations like the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.

The year ended with strong growth as W4SG began preparing for its Annual Summit in Stockholm. We expect that our NGO will continue to increase in membership in 2014 and expand our activities resulting in increased network growth between the regions.