Saudi makes history as princess is named first female US ambassador
dubai — Saudi Arabia appointed its first female ambassador early on Sunday to serve as its top diplomat in the United States, pulling a son of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, back to the kingdom to serve as deputy defence minister amid deteriorating ties with America after the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud, a daughter of the kingdom’s longtime ambassador to Washington Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, faces a stark challenge in improving ties between the US and Saudi Arabia. She replaces Prince Khalid bin Salman, a son of King Salman and a former fighter pilot who insisted after Khashoggi’s disappearance on October 2 that the Washington Post columnist simply left the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul.
Princess Reema, who studied in America and is known in the kingdom for her philanthropic work, lived in the US during her father’s over 20 years as the Saudi ambassador there. Her father also served as the head of the country’s intelligence service.
“I will work with God’s permission to serve my country, its leaders and all its children and I will spare no effort to that end,” Princess Reema wrote on Twitter after her appointment.
Her posting comes as Saudi Arabia under King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed allowed women to drive last year. —
I will work with God’s permission to serve my country, its leaders and all its children and I will spare no effort to that end
Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud
Saudi Arabia’s determination and political will to bring about a healthy socio-cultural change and economic development in the kingdom have been underscored by the appointment of a woman as its ambassador to the US — the first woman from the kingdom to take up such a position. The move accentuates the role played by Riyadh in empowering women, and its determination and political will to bring about deep reforms within the kingdom. Daughter of former ambassador to the US, Princess Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, a Museum studies graduate from George Washington University in the US, has been an advocate of female empowerment. Emerging as one of the voices promoting the kingdom’s reforms, Princess Reema has been a global ambassador for positive change and for a more conjoined world. Her campaign to increase women’s participation in sports made headlines when she worked at
Saudi Arabia’s General
Sports Authority. The role now assigned to her assumes greater importance as she faces the obvious challenge of improving Riyadh’s ties with Washington.
Realising that transformation of women’s roles and their empowerment are key to the kingdom’s modernisation objectives and its aim to reduce its dependence on oil, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has provisioned in his ambitious Vision 2030 plans to raise women’s ratio in the labour force to 30 per cent. Allowing women to drive and thereby increasing their mobility were part of his strategy to tap this underutilised human resource pool. Engaging women is also seen as the right means to spur productivity and economic growth which would in turn reassure investors of Saudi’s push to diversify its economy. Saudi Arabia has chosen the right path for its paradigm shift with the kingdom adopting economic, political and social changes. Opening up the country’s entertainment sector has also brought in significant social changes. But to enable healthy development, women need to be well represented across all arenas. This is where such highprofile appointments come into play.
Engaging women is also seen as the right means to spur productivity and economic growth