UNITED NATIONS - / www.MaximsNews.com, UN/ - October 2006 --   Thoraya Ahmed Obaid is the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, the world’s largest multilateral source of population assistance. 

Ms. Obaid was appointed head of UNFPA, effective 1 January 2001. She is the first Saudi Arabian to be named head of a United Nations agency. From 1998 to 2001, Ms. Obaid was Director, Division for Arab States and Europe , UNFPA.  

Before joining UNFPA, Ms. Obaid was Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 1993 to 1998. She was the Chief of the Social Development and Population Division, ESCWA, from 1992 to 1993, and Social Affairs Officer, responsible for the advancement of women, from 1975 to 1992. 

Working with governments to establish programmes to empower women and develop their capacities as citizens with rights and responsibilities and working with women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to advocate for equality for women have been a central focus of Ms. Obaid’s work, both at ESCWA and UNFPA.   

In 1975, Ms. Obaid established the first women’s development programme in the Western Asia region. The programme was instrumental in building partnerships between the United Nations and regional NGOs. Ms. Obaid chaired the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender in Amman , Jordan , in 1996. 

In November 1997, she was a member of the United Nations Inter-Agency Gender Mission to Afghanistan . Earlier that year, she was a member of the United Nations Strategic Framework Mission to Afghanistan . From 1984 to 1985, she was a member of the League of Arab States Working Group for formulating the Arab Strategy for Social Development.  

Ms. Obaid is the first Saudi Arabian woman to receive a government scholarship to study at a university in the United States , in 1963. She has a doctorate degree in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology from Wayne State University , Detroit , Michigan . She is a member of the Middle East Studies Association and of Al-Nahdha Women’s Philanthropic Association, a Saudi NGO.  

Throughout her career, Ms. Obaid has emphasized the importance of development that emerges from the context of each society, thus taking into consideration cultural values and religious beliefs that shape people and affect their actions. 

As UNFPA Executive Director, she has introduced a special focus on culture and religion in the Fund’s development work, thus linking universal values of human rights to values of the human worth promoted by all religions and found in all cultures.  

She has received many awards and honours, including, award from the General Federation of Arab Women, in recognition of her outstanding commitment and service to Arab Women (1985); New York Wagner School of Public Health, New York University, for outstanding commitment to global public service, July 2001; George P. Younger Award by the Committee of Religious Non-Governmental Organizations at the United Nations, for courage in bringing culture and religion into the United Nations dialogue, May 2002; Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Mills College (her Alma Mater), Oakland, California, for commitment to serving people in developing countries to achieve basic education, health and economic opportunities, in May 2002.  

Other awards and honours include the Pedro Joaquin Chamorro Award – highest honour by Nicaragua’s Parliament, March 2003; Second Century Award for Excellence in Health Care, granted by Columbia University, New York, for leadership in advancing health care for women around the world and dedication to empowering women and furthering their reproductive rights to improve their health, May 2003; Honorary Doctor of Laws degree, Kwansei Gakuin University, Osaka, Japan, for contributions to the advancement of culture, May 2004; the Order of Dionisio de Herrara for Service to Humanity for supporting the integration of a full course on the protection of women victims of domestic violence in the curriculum of the police academy in Honduras, May 2005.  

Ms. Obaid was ranked among the 50 Most Powerful Arab Women by Forbes magazine, December 2004. 

Labels: United Nations, U.N., 

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