Saudi Arabia appoints second female envoy

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has appointed Amal Yahya Al-Moallimi as the ambassador to Norway - making her the Kingdom’s second female ambassador, state news agency SPA reported.

Princess Reema Bint Bandar was Saudi Arabia’s first woman to hold such a position when she was appointed as the Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States.

Al-Moallimi took the oath of office in an online ceremony on Tuesday, along with several others before King Salman and in the presence of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

She started her career over 20 years ago in the fields of education, training and social development.

Al-Moallimi worked as a teacher for five years and as a mentor for eight. She also worked for one year in the Educational Training Department at the Ministry of Education.

The ambassador served as general manager of international cooperation and organizations at the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC) since 2019.

Earlier in 2019, she told Arab News: “The Kingdom’s journey toward empowering women has taken wider and quicker strides and continues to open up new doors every day.”

She was one of six women appointed to the SHRC, representing 25 percent of its membership. They are the first women to participate on the commission.