Just under two years after Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud was appointed the first-ever female envoy for Saudi Arabia as ambassador to the United States, another female has now been appointed to a similar position.
Amal Yahya Al-Moallimi was appointed as the Kingdom’s ambassador to Norway, the (SPA) reported last week.
With over 20 years of experience in education, Al-Moallimi has worked as a teacher, mentor and also in the Educational Training Department at the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia. Most recently she has worked for the Saudi Human Rights Commission (SHRC) since 2019, where she was the director-general of organisations and international cooperation.
Following her appointment, Al-Moallimi’s brother, Abdallah AlMouallimi, who is a Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the UN, shared his excitement on Twitter.
“I am proud of my sister Amal, who took the oath today in front of King Salman as the Kingdom’s ambassador to Norway, and thank you to everyone who shared feelings of pride with us,” he said. “May our father Yahya and my mother rest in peace, who raised us to love our country and be loyal to our ruler.”
Proud of my sister Amal who took the oath of office today in front of King Salman as the new ambassador of KSA to Norway!
— Abdallah AlMouallimi (@amouallimi) October 21, 2020
فخور بشقيقتي امال التي ادت القسم اليوم امام خادم الحرمين الشريفين سفيرة للمملكة لدى مملكة النرويج، وشكرا لكل من شاركنا مشاعر الفخر والاعتزاز ورحم الله والدي يحيى ووالدتي معدية الذين ربيانا على حب الوطن والولاء لولاة الامر وطلب العلم والجد في العمل والحمد لله من قبل ومن بعد!
— Abdallah AlMouallimi (@amouallimi) October 21, 2020
Last Tuesday, October 21, Al-Moallimi took part in an online ceremony to take oath in the presence of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
A couple of days after the appointment, Al-Moallimi herself took to Twitter to share her gratitude over her new role.
“I express my highest thanks and gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his trustworthy Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the dear trust in my appointment as the ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in the Kingdom of Norway,” she said. “I ask God Almighty to reconcile and redeem for the good and the elevation of our country.
أرفع أسمى آيات الشكر وعظيم الامتنان لمقام سيدي خادم الحرمين الشريفين الملك سلمان بن عبدالعزيز وولي عهده الأمين صاحب السمو الملكي الأمير محمد بن سلمان على الثقة الغالية بتعييني سفيرة خادم الحرمين الشريفين في مملكة النرويج.
أسأل الله عز وجل التوفيق والسداد لما فيه خير ورفعة بلادنا— ِآمال يحيى المعلمي | Amal Y Almoallimi (@amalalmoallimi) October 22, 2020
“I would also like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all who were kind enough to congratulate me, the good calls, and the good wishes.
“I ask the Lord to make us meet your expectations and to guide our steps for what is good for our dear homeland.”
It’s yet another exciting history-making move for women in the Kingdom.
The changes are part of the many initiatives under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Vision 2030 scheme, an ambitious post-oil economic plan, which has a major focus on women’s rights in the Kingdom.
Just three months after he stepped into the role in 2017, the Crown Prince unveiled in a royal decree, women would be able to secure driving licenses from June 2018 and he has gone on to do much more.
Then, in March 2018, it was announced by the Ministry of Justice that women who are divorced in the country would be able to instantly retain custody of their children.
Under his plans, women are now also able to attend sports events in stadiums in three cities, female students in the Kingdom are now allowed to carry their phones while on campus and as of August 2019, women aged over 21 are now allowed to travel independently.
In the last few months alone, there have been many notable history-making moments and appointments in Saudi Arabia paving the way for women.
