JEDDAH, 4 May 2004 — Baroness Kennedy, the British Council’s chairwoman, sees some evidence that the Kingdom’s women are moving forward.
“I met an interesting legal woman who is a legal consultant and so I see this as a new development of women going into law,” Kennedy told Arab News here yesterday. “I see this as an interesting development because when I was young very few women went into law.”
Baroness (Helena) Kennedy, QC, made her name as a criminal lawyer before being made a life peer by the Labour government she fiercely attacks in her recent book Just Law. “In Riyadh I met a woman in consultancy business and another who runs health clubs for women. Today in Jeddah I met a young woman who is setting up a stockbroker business,” she said.
Kennedy has no fewer than 15 honorary doctorates in law and is vice president of the Haldane Society, the association of women barristers. Kennedy arrived here from Riyadh where she met with education ministers, academics and students on Sunday.
“The Saudi Embassy in London has just set up an information website about the Kingdom, the idea being to make it a link between schools in Britain and the Kingdom. We are very keen to develop this,” she said.
“We want regular exchanges between young people to take place,” she said.
During her ministerial meetings, she discussed different ways the British Council can collaborate with the government here, as the Kingdom is very keen to expand English language teaching and training for language teachers.
“We have a long connection with the Ministry of Education,” she said. In 2001, she welcomed a delegation from the Ministry of Higher Education in London.
The baroness is also working on a scholarship program and expanding links between universities for collaborations on research and exchange programs. The whole exercise is aimed to strengthen connections and relationships, she said.
Kennedy, who is also president of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, said links with the university were strong, “but we want to further expand it for research and other collaborations.”
Part of her mission is to keep the British Council on track with its long-term commitment, said Kennedy, a frequent broadcaster and journalist on law and women’s rights.
In Jeddah she met Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry officials, bankers and businessmen. She returns to London today.
