DR. Thoraya Obaid, the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, visited Jeddah recently and gave a lecture at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the planning to face the challenges of tomorrow. I think it is important that we give credit to all those who encouraged and promoted women’s education in Saudi Arabia.
First, I salute Dr. Thoraya for being chosen for this important position. Praise also goes to the Kingdom and to Saudi women and all those who supported and advocated the education of Saudi girls.
I also salute and thank the government which spent months of intensive contacts mustering international support for Dr. Thoraya’s nomination. In the end, these efforts were crowned with success despite strong competition from many other contenders. At that time, Dr. Thoraya praised the efforts of the Saudi government and especially the strong support she had received from Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard.
Dr. Thoraya now heads a department of more than 1,000 employees, including 250 at the UN headquarters in New York and 750 others working in 80 countries. The UN fund which she manages has an annual budget of $300 million.
If credit is given to those who deserve it, then we must not forget King Fahd who, as minister of education, was an early supporter of women’s education in the Kingdom. Dr. Thoraya’s achievement is but one of the many fruits of King Fahd’s policy which allowed girls to receive an education equal to that given to men and so save half our society from illiteracy. We wish Dr. Thoraya every success in this prestigious international position. It is hers because of her qualifications, dedication and personality and with the support of the Saudi leadership. We hope many other Saudi women will achieve similar positions.
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THE recent agreement signed in Tehran by Interior Minister Prince Naif and his Iranian counterpart, Abdolvahed Mussavi-Lari, goes far beyond security to far-reaching political dimensions. The foreign policy of any country is a reflection of its domestic policy. The agreement reflects a common desire by both countries to fight crime, terrorism, money laundering and to monitor the borders and territorial waters. Yet, it goes beyond these areas to incorporate political agreement even if this is not explicitly mentioned. The agreement reflects a similar political stand held by the two countries on regional issues of mutual concern. The joint statement underlined the two countries’ support for the demands of the Palestinian people and for Al-Quds Intifada against the Zionist occupation, condemning the repressive policies and aggression of the Zionist entity and supporting the return of full Palestinian national rights.
