International Women’s Rights Day 2022: 5 Arab women who make a difference

1. Najla Bouden, Prime Minister, Tunisia

 

This is a first for Tunisia, and for the Arab world in general: a woman appointed Prime Minister. Since October 2021, Najla Bouden has been appointed by President Kais Saied as Prime Minister of Tunisia, while the country is undergoing sometimes turbulent political and democratic transformations. The 63-year-old academic, unknown to the general public, taught geology at the National School of Engineering in Tunis for several years and worked with the World Bank on youth employment in Tunisia before becoming prime minister. On October 11, Ms. Bouden formed her new government, composed of eight women ministers. This is a sign of the real inclusion of women in the political life of the country.

2. Haifaa Al Mansour, director, Saudi Arabia

 

You must have already watched Wadjda, the story of the little girl who wants to ride a bicycle in Saudi Arabia, directed by Haifaa Al Mansour. The country’s first female director, Al Mansour received a Lifetime Achievement Award last December at the first Saudi Arabian Film Festival in Jeddah. On that occasion, she confided to us, “It’s amazing to be at the Jeddah Film Festival to celebrate art and women, in a place that has been very conservative and is now opening up to the world.” An inspiring personality for cinema, and for all women in the region…

 

3. Reem Al Hashimi, Minister, United Arab Emirates

 

You may have read her prose in Vogue Arabia, when Reem Al-Hashimi discussed the importance of empowering women and children, and the power of health and education in driving development. A former diplomat serving at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC, she now heads Dubai Cares, a children’s charity established by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum in 2007. Among other national duties (she is Minister of State for International Cooperation, no less), Reem Al Hashimi is also the General Manager of the Dubai Expo. As part of it, she asked Oscar-winning musician Allah Rakha Rahman to form an all-female orchestra with members from across the region. The ensemble, named the Firdaus Orchestra, included 50 women of 23 nationalities.

 

4. Salima Souakri, judoka, Algeria

 

Is there any competition that Salima Souakri has not won? Eight times African champion at the African Championships, three times gold medallist at the All Africa Games, bronze medallist at the World Junior Championships, the list of won competitions goes on and on. In addition to her success as an athlete, Salima Souakri has just been named ambassador of Algerian sport around the world. and to receive an award by the International Forum of Arab Sportswomen for her entire career. The Forum said that the judoka was also the first Arab and Muslim woman to earn her election to the executive committee of the International Judo Federation.

 

5. Noha Baz, Pediatrician, Lebanon

 

Reducing her to her pediatrician role does not do justice to this Lebanese graduate of the Higher Studies of Taste and Gastronomy and author of several gastronomic books on the transmission of taste and traditions of Lebanese tables. After her medical studies in France, Noha Baz returned to Lebanon and founded in 1997 the association Les Petits Soleils to save the underprivileged children of Lebanon who do not have medical coverage. At the same time, she became a gastronomic analyst and a successful author, receiving several literary awards, notably for her book entitled La recette d’où je viens. She also initiated the creation of the Ziryâb literary prize, which rewards cookbooks based on the transmission or the gastronomic tradition.