CAIRI (UNA0OIC) – Dr. Afnan Alshuaiby of Saudi Arabia was appointed today by the Ministerial Council of the Women Development Organization. After her appointment, Dr. Alshuaiby thanked the Ministerial Council for choosing her for the post. She started her statement by thanking her own country the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with special thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and His Royal Highness Prince Mohammad bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the Crown Prince, for their tremendous support and opportunities specifically for women. She thanked also the Saudi Council for Family Affairs led by the Secretary General, Dr Hala Altuwaijri, and her team, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation who worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone.
She expressed her deepest gratitude to Egypt for supporting the organization which was clearly manifested in the decision of H.E. President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, to commit Egypt to pay the assessed contributions of the Least Developed Countries of OIC as they join WDO. She thanked also the WDO’s team led by H.E. Ambassador Ehab Fawzy the Deputy Executive Director for succeeding in putting the organization on the right track. She added that her dream is that OIC countries will be the first in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by 2030 which is the target year for the implementation of the Global Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Dr. Maya Morsy, the President of the Egyptian National Council for Women and the Chair of the Ministerial Council of WDO, assured to the newly appointed Executive Director the full support of Egypt to her and to the WDO’s work under the leadership of H.E. President Abdel Fattah Alsisi and the encouraging political will.
Dr. Ahmad Sengendo, the Assistant Secretary General for Economic Affairs of OIC, representing the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, thanked in his speech the Egyptian Government for its commendable efforts in promoting women’s status and empowerment in all fields and for its active role in supporting the OIC goals and efforts towards preserving women’s rights and enhancing their role in development across the OIC Member States, especially in supporting WDO. He congratulated Dr. Afnan for her new post and wish her every success in leading this very important specialized organization of the OIC. He reiterated the call to OIC Member States to join the WDO, and benefit from all its programs and activities in the field of women empowerment.
Ministers of Women’s Affairs of WDO Member States congratulated in their statements, Dr. Afnan for her new post and expressed their countries’ full support to her work. They thanked Dr. Maya Morsy, H.E. Ambassador Ehab Fawzy and the WDO team for their work. Some statements shed some light on their updated achievements in development of women and girls in their countries. Some specialized agencies of OIC participated in the Ministerial Meeting. SESRIC and IOFS congratulated Dr. Alshuaiby for assuming her post and expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Organization.
