Saudi Mission to the UN Celebrates International Women’s Day

United Nation headquarters in New York (UN)
United Nation headquarters in New York (UN)
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Saudi Mission to the UN Celebrates International Women’s Day

United Nation headquarters in New York (UN)
United Nation headquarters in New York (UN)

The Saudi permanent mission to the United Nations celebrated International Women’s Day on Friday.

Recent reforms to empower women that have swept through Saudi Arabia were highlighted in a virtual meeting with high-ranking UN officials. Special emphasis was placed on enhancing women’s involvement in making decisions regarding critical matters such as politics, economics and human rights.

Guests at the meeting included Ambassador Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, the permanent Saudi representative to the UN, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of UN women; Miguel Moratinos, the UN’s high-representative for the Alliance of Civilizations; Thoraya Obaid, chair of W20, the G20 engagement group that focuses on women’s empowerment and gender equality; Amal Yahya Al-Mouallimi, the Saudi Ambassador to Norway; Hala Altwaijry, Secretary-general of the Family Affairs Council of Saudi Arabia; Hind Al-Zahid, Saudi Deputy Minister of Women’s Empowerment; and Sarah Al-Tamimi, Vice-chair of the Kingdom’s National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking.

Al-Mouallimi pointed out that since launching the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 led by King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi government has “re-examined civil and labor laws and made serious legislative reforms that seek to empower women.”

He emphasized that these reforms led to an increase in gender equality between men and women, “as evidenced by the fact that more women now occupy high-ranking positions in both the public and private sectors.”

Obaid, for her part, believes that the changes that are happening in Saudi Arabia are “developmental; and thus gradual legislative reforms have become the method of implementation.

“Saudi women are now entering the labor market, competing in municipal elections, and are being appointed for membership in the Shura Council,” she said.

“When men support women, there is no limit to what can be achieved.”

Al-Mouallimi emphasized Saudi women’s participation in diplomatic missions and the role of Saudi women in the Kingdom’s international political and diplomatic scenes, stressing that “these recent reforms enabled Saudi Arabia to participate in higher-level international platforms.”

Altwaijry pointed out that “Saudi women have held many leadership and key positions, including positions in the United Nations programs, the World Health Organization, the Arab League, and the Gulf Cooperation Council.”

“The diplomatic field witnessed a 150 percent increase in Saudi Women’s participation.”

She went on to say that Saudi women should be proud of what they have achieved and of going from humble beginnings to representing Saudi Arabia on diplomatic missions.



Greece to Build Escape Port on Santorini as Quakes Continue

FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
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Greece to Build Escape Port on Santorini as Quakes Continue

FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People board a ferry to Piraeus, during an increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis/File Photo

Greece will soon set up an evacuation port on the island of Santorini to facilitate the safe escape of people in case a bigger quake hits the popular tourist destination, a Greek minister said on Monday.
Santorini, a volcanic island in the Aegean Sea, has been shaken by tens of thousands of mild quakes since late January, forcing thousands of people to flee, and authorities to ban construction activity, and shut schools and nearby islands.
No major damage has been reported but scientists have said the seismic activity was unprecedented even in a quake-prone country like Greece and have not ruled out bigger tremors.
They have identified the main ferry port at the foot of a precipitous slope and other sites across Santorini as weak links, although they have not said they cannot be used in an emergency situation, Reuters reported.
Civil Protection Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece will build an evacuation port for the safe docking of passenger ferries until a new port infrastructure is in place.
"Along with the new port in Santorini which is being prepared, there was a decision for setting up an escape port on the part of the island where passenger ferries would be able to dock in an emergency," he said in an interview with Greek ANT1 television.
Although the tremors lessened over the weekend, local authorities extended emergency measures for a third week on Sunday and reiterated calls for people to stay away from coastal areas and steep hillsides prone to landslides.
"This story is not over," Costas Papazachos, a seismology professor, and a spokesperson for the Santorini quakes told public broadcaster ERT.
"Both authorities and habitants should get used to a rather unpleasant situation for some time, it could be another two, three months."
Santorini took its current shape following one of the largest volcanic eruptions in history, around 1600 BC.
Seismologists have said the latest seismic activity, the result of moving tectonic plates and magma, has pushed subsurface layers of the island upwards.