Princess Reema Bint Bandar, Undersecretary of the Saudi General Sports Authority and President of the Community Sports Union, said that the presence of Saudi women in different sectors would become natural, stressing that they were already present in every field, but behind the scenes.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, the Saudi princess said that reforms taking place in the Kingdom were not aimed at satisfying the outside world, but the Saudi citizens.
“I am a government employee in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so my duty is to serve the youth of the homeland. If we work only to please the outside world, we will not satisfy ourselves. I think that we must have confidence in ourselves and in our direction, and others will be convinced after they see the results and the impact of our work,” Princess Reema said.
As for the future of Saudi women, the princess noted that there would be no need to discuss the place of women in the society, because “they are already present” in the different fields.
“The world now began to see us, but we were always present… We were behind the scenes, everywhere and in all fields,” she stated.
She also stressed that the world should not put restraints on women’s ambition to work.
“The mother at home is raising a generation, and we must treasure the generations that will represent the country in the future. We also esteem the working woman who represents her country today,” Princess Reema stated.
During a session on “Building Saudi Arabia’s Future Economy” on the sidelines of Davos meetings, the Saudi princess called for investing in the Kingdom’s human potential, describing it as “the new oil.”
She added that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “listens to his people and leads the change to meet their needs.”
“Through our work with the Ministry of Labor and Commerce and others, we created 25 new jobs for women, which did not exist before, and we changed laws to allow the establishment of women’s gymnasiums, which received immediate response from female citizens,” she told the session.
Addressing foreign investors, Princess Reema said: “Do not look at us from the angle of our oil, buildings or infrastructure; look at the human resources that need training. Human energies are the new oil and the new currency.”
