Today, an exceptional event is taking place in Warsaw, Poland, and to think that only four years ago this event was nothing more than an initiative born out of the vision of women.

The fourth “Congress of Women” is rapidly becoming a highly respected civic movement bringing together individuals, NGOs, businesspeople, politicians, scientists, artists, journalists, and trade unions members to provide equal opportunity for Polish women to play an active role in the task of nation building. The movement is extremely active, and is involved in politics and community, and rises above any political party divides.

The theme of this year’s event is “Activeness, Entrepreneurship, and Independence”. And as I sit sipping coffee in the lounge of my hotel, burning the midnight oil to prepare my brief talk during a roundtable discussion, I am torn between having to present humdrum statistical facts and figures on Saudi women — or wanting to highlight certain realities that have shaped my country and added fuel to the many misconceptions that shape global opinion on who we are as a Nation and its people.

As this is the first time I will publicly address a Polish audience, I choose the latter. There is nothing more powerful in relationship building than working on common ground. And I believe that my choice of highlighting challenging issues that we face will bring about an objective understanding of Saudi Arabia and its process of nation building.

One of the first insights I hope to share with my audience tomorrow is the fact that Saudi Arabia is a country challenged by many paradoxes that have defined our socio political culture: Saudi Arabia is homogenous — and yet it is diverse; It is modern — and yet it is conservative; It is a leader — and yet it is being led. And only in understanding these paradoxes, can my audience of tomorrow better appreciate the uniqueness of both our strengths as well as our weaknesses.

One of the biggest challenges we face as a Nation is linked to our homogeneity on one hand, as well as to our diversity on the other. We are a nation bound by one language, one ideology and one rule of law; and yet we are extremely diverse as a people, with varied cultures and coming from even more varied geographic landscapes.

You see, before our unification some 100 years ago, our landscape The Arabian Peninsula was made up of four independent regions with indigenous inhabitants: The Eastern region which consisted mostly of a Shia population had cultural links to Iran, Bahrain, and India… The Asir region in the South was closely linked to Yemen both by population and geography… The Najd Region in the Center remained relatively isolated as it bordered three deserts and a mountain chain, and the Hijaz region in the East, which was historically tied to the Ottoman bureaucratic system due to its strategic position as home to the two holy sites of Islam.

Another challenge that makes us who we are is the conflicting need to modernize as opposed to the need to appease a growing anti-modernization public will. To many Saudis modernization is a western and un-Islamic construct and therefore sinful, and this is clearly illustrated by certain historic events such as the invasion of The Holy Mosque in Makah back in 1979, as well as by the tragic acts of 9-11.

And finally, the biggest challenge of all is in leading and being lead. Well this statement is not as simple as it suggests itself to be. Saudi Arabia is in fact a leader in the region as well as in the Muslim world. Its leadership focus is on maintaining peace and stability and in enabling itself to go forward as a nation in a sustainable and predictable manner. Having said, there is no denying that as a Nation, we are constantly being led by global events that force us to re-strategize time and time again.

And this challenge is not ours alone to bear. The world at large lives in unpredictable times that are changing socio-political landscapes faster than the speed of sound. Emerging innovative technologies have given rise and voice to an otherwise voiceless set of people, and the world as we know it is venturing into unchartered territories… And the Arab Spring is living proof of that.