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Mrs. Amat Al-Alim Al-Soswa was born in the city of Taiz on the 27th of August, 1958. She is a media, political, and intellectual figure who has held many senior positions and assignments. She is married and the mother of two daughters: Sama (November 29, 1988) and Rayman (May 29, 1990).
Academic Qualifications:
- High School 1975-1976.
- BA in Mass Communication - Radio and Television, Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo, Arab Republic of Egypt, 1980.
- MA in International Media - American University, Washington DC, USA, 1984.
Languages:
- Arabic native speaker and fluent in English, Russian and French languages.
Public Positions held:
- (1967 - 1975), preparing and broadcasting children's programmes, Taiz Local Radio.
- (1971 - 1975) preparing and presenting family, women and youth programmes, and presenting news programs - Taiz Local Radio.
- (1974 - 1976), Chief of the Yemeni Girl Guides Movement in Taiz.
- (1976 - 1980), News presenter, producer and presenter of youth, family and health programs, and cultural as well as political programs - Sana'a TV.
- (1976 - 1980), Chief broadcaster with Sana'a TV.
- (1980 - 1982), Assistant Director of Television Programs, Sana'a TV.
- (1984 - 1986), a lecturer at the College of Political Science at Sana'a University.
- (1984 - 1987), Deputy Director of Television Programs, Sana'a TV.
- Since 1986, a member of the Permanent Committee of the General People's Congress party.
- (1989 - 1990), Chairwoman of the General Yemeni Women Union.
- (1990 - 1994), member of the Executive Committee of the General People's Congress party.
- (1990 - 1994), head of the women's sector of the General People's Congress in Yemen.
- (1991), Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information.
- (1991), Editor-in-Chief of Media reports magazine.
- (1992 - 1994), member of the Supreme Committee for the General Census of Housing, Population and Establishments.
- (1993), Chairperson of the National Women's Committee.
- (May - October 1996), member of the Preparatory Committee for the Second National Conference on Population Policies in Yemen.
- (September - October 1996), counsellor to the United Nations Development Office in Sana'a on women and poverty.
- (March 1997), Undersecretary of the Ministry of Information.
- (2001) Permanent Representative of Yemen to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons - The Hague, Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- (January 2001), the non-resident ambassador of Yemen to the Kingdom of Sweden.
- (October 2000), the non-resident ambassador of Yemen to the Kingdom of Denmark.
- (September 2000), Yemen's ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
- (May 2003), she was appointed as Minister of Human Rights, and was the first Yemeni lady to hold such senior position.
- On March 1, 2006, Mrs. Amat Al-Alim Al-Soswa held the position of The Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, Assistant Director and Regional Director for Arab States at the United Nations Development Program in which Ms. Amat Al Alim Al-Soswa was supervising the work of more than 500 UNDP employees working in 17 country offices in the Arab region as well as the UNDP office located in the occupied Palestinian territory. She also supervised a comprehensive regional program centered on achieving the Millennium Development Goals, promoting democratic governance and building a knowledge society in the Arab world.
- In March 2013, he was a member of the National Dialogue Conference within the State Building Team.
- On April 3, 2014, the Prime Minister's Decision No. (152) of 2014 was issued appointing Amat Al-Alim Al-Soswa as Executive Director of the Executive Bureau for Accelerating Aid Absorption and Policy Reforms.
Participations and Contributions:
- 1975, she participated in the Yemeni Cultural Week in Libya.
- 1976, participated in a workshop on family planning in the Arab world, organized by the International Federation for Planned Parenthood, Khartoum - Sudan.
- 1978, she represented Yemen at the eleventh International Film Festival in Moscow.
- 1978, she participated in a symposium on the stereotypical image of women in the Arab media - League of Arab States - Cairo.
- 1980, she participated in the Yemeni Cultural Week in Qatar.
- (1982-1984), she participated in the activities of "kitchens of the poor" in Washington's poor neighborhoods, as part of a study on poverty in rich countries.
- 1983, she was a speaker on behalf of Yemen at the international meeting on the occasion of the engagement of Women in Development at the United Nations General Assembly - New York.
- 1985, participated in the Arab and Islamic Cities Conference - Baghdad.
- (1991 - 1995), she headed the Yemeni delegation to the meetings of the Permanent Committee for Arab Media, League of Arab States - Cairo.
- 1992, participated in a seminar on gender and development organized by the Institute of Tropical Studies Amsterdam - the Netherlands.
- In October 1992, she lectured at the Arab World Institute symposium, Paris, on "Yemen and Democracy".
- September 1992, participated in the meeting of Arab-European women parliamentarians, Brussels - Belgium.
- 1993, she presided over the ministerial delegation of the Republic of Yemen to the Conference of Arab Ministers of Information, the Arab League - Cairo.
- In March 1995, she chaired the Yemeni delegation to the meetings of the 39th session of the Committee on the Status of Women at the United Nations - New York.
- In March 1995, she participated in the official delegation of the Republic of Yemen in the Social Development Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.
- (16-17/9/1996), Mrs. Al-Soswa organized a panel discussion for parties and civil society organizations to support women candidates for the 1997 parliamentary elections, Sana'a.
- (20-25/9/1996), she presided over the delegation of the Republic of Yemen to the regional meeting of the Committee of Experts for Women's Non-Governmental Organizations in Jordan.
- 1997, participated in the meetings of the 28th General Conference of UNESCO, Paris.
- 1997, participated in the dialogue symposium between the Arab and German media, Germany - Heidelberg.
- 1997, participated in the London Symposium on Business Women in Yemen.
- In March 1998, participated in the symposium to promote joint Arab action, Cairo - Egypt.
- In April 1998, participated in the meetings of the High Commission for Human Rights, Geneva - Switzerland.
- (10-12 July 1998), participated in the Lebanese Arab Women's Conference, Beirut - Lebanon.
- In June 9, 1999), participated in the Human Rights and Development Symposium, Cairo.
- (June 23-24, 1999), she participated in the seminar of "Partnership for the Future Advancement of Women", Amman - Jordan.
- In September 1999, she organized a seminar on political parties' support for women candidates in local elections.
- In September 2003, participated in the twelfth annual conference for decision-makers - Washington.
- Participated in several media and feminist seminars, meetings and conferences in: Egypt, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Belgium, Denmark, Oman, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Jordan.
- Participated in a large number of conferences, meetings, workshops, and international and local forums held in Yemen.
- From 1993 until 2000, she headed the committees that prepared national reports on the situation of women in Yemen for six years.
- In January 12, 2009, she was selected as a new member of the Board of Trustees of the Arab Foundation for Democracy in the third meeting, which was held under the chairmanship of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al-Misnad, consort of the Emir of Qatar.
Honors/Awards:
- In 2002, she received an honorary medal from Sheikha Fatima, consort of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for her distinguished role in the Arab media from the United Arab Emirates.
- In 2003, she was awarded Woman of the Year in the Middle East.
- And the "W. Avril Harriman Democracy Award", in the year 2004.
Publications & Studies:
- 1992, the recent history of the emergence of the Yemeni press.
- 1993, Women and Participation in Power and Political Decision-Making.
- 1993, Women in the Yemeni Media.
- In October 1993, a study on freedom of the press and human rights in light of democratic development in Yemen.
- 1995, a book titled "The Democratic Experience in Yemen" (published in English).
- In November 1995, a study on the future of culture in the light of information.
- In January 1996, a study on the media, children and violence.
- In April 1996, "Yemeni Women in Numbers" book, first edition, April 1996; Second edition, October 1996.
- From 2/9/2003 to 15/9/2003, some writings in Arab media magazines.
- Participated in the twelfth annual conference for "decision makers", Washington.
Source:
- The National Information Center.
