Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani

Sheikha Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani (Arabic: علياء بنت أحمد آل ثاني; born 1974) is a Qatari diplomat who currently serves as the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations.[1]

Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani
Ambassador Al-Thani
Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations
Assumed office
24 October 2013
Preceded byMeshal Hamad M.J. Al-Thani
Personal details
Born
Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani

1974 (age 48–49)
Doha, Qatar
Alma materSOAS, University of London and Qatar University

Early life and education

Her father, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani, is a former diplomat.[2] Her uncle also served as a diplomat.[3] She graduated with a B.S. in economics from Qatar University and obtained a M.A. in international studies and diplomacy from SOAS, University of London in 2006.[4] She is the first woman to serve as Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations.[5]

Career

From October 2003 to May 2004, she served as a senior specialist in the General Secretariat of the International Relations Department of the Board of Governors.[6]

Al-Thani subsequently served as Deputy Director from June 2004 to August 2006, and later as director of the child's rights division of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs from September 2006 to March 2007.[1]

She became a counselor for UN affairs from April 2007 to May 2009, before becoming an Envoy in June 2009. She also served as deputy Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN from May 2010 to July 2011.

In August 2011, she became the Ambassador to the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a position she held until October 2011.[6]

Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva

From 2011 to 2013, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva,[7][8] the World Trade Organization (WTO), and as the General Consul of the State of Qatar to the Swiss Federation.

In 2013, Al-Thani was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.[9]

Permanent Representative to the United Nations HQ

On 24 October 2013, she was announced as the Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in New York.[1][10][11]

In 2017, she chaired the fiftieth session of the United Nations Commission on Population and Development[12][13] and co-organized the meetings to assess the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.[10]

In 2018, she co-organized the intergovernmental consultations to review the reform of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.[14]

In June 2021, she was appointed Chairperson for the seventy-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly.[15]

In November 2021, Al-Thani was appointed by Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th United Nations General Assembly, to co-chair the intergovernmental negotiations on the United Nations Security Council reform.[16][17][18]

In 2022, Csaba Kőrösi, president of the 77th United Nations General Assembly,[19] appointed her to conduct consultations on the political declaration to be adopted by the SDG[20] Summit in September 2023.

She has authored and facilitated several United Nations General Assembly Resolutions, such as the Resolution welcoming the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar,[21] the International Day to Protect Education From Attack,[22][23] which followed the adoption of a Resolution on the Right to Education in Emergencies ten years earlier,[24] a Resolution on an International Day of Women Judges[25] and on World Autism Awareness Day,[26] and a Resolution on improving the effectiveness and coordination of military and civil assets for natural disaster response.

She started important United Nations Groups of Friends, and co-chairs the Group of Friends for Gender Parity,[27][28] the Group of Friends for the Responsibility to Protect, the Group of Friends to Assist on the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM[29]) to help investigate crimes committed in Syria, the Group of Friends for Education and Lifelong Learning,[30] the Group of Friends for Solidarity for Global Health Security, and the Group of Friends for the Responsibility to Protect.[31]

Ambassador Al-Thani sits on the boards of several international human rights, sustainable development,[32] and women's rights organizations.[33]

She has won several awards, including being nominated as a Young Global Leader to improve the state of the world by the World Economic Forum in 2013. She has written opinion pieces as well as the foreword to the book "Overcoming Smallness: Challenges and Opportunities for Small States in Global Affairs"[34]

See also

References
  1. "New permanent representative of Qatar presents credentials". United Nations. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  2. "Her Excellency Sheikha Alya". qlife.com. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  3. "Qatar's UN ambassador looks to break barriers". Al Monitor. 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-03-12. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  4. "Curriculum vitae" (PDF). Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  5. "Her Excellency Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani | Qatar National Library". www.qnl.qa. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  6. "Alya Ahmed Saif al-Thani (Qatar) Chair of Sixth Committee". United Nations. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. "Equality, empowering women is central pillar in QNV 2030". The Peninsula. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  8. "Equality and empowering women is central pillar in Qatar National Vision". Gulf Times. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  9. "Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani". International Association of Women Judges. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  10. "Global & Gulf Regional Strategies for Security and Justice in an Age of Uncertainty". stimson.org. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  11. "New Permanent Representative of Qatar Presents Credentials". United Nations. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  12. "Briefing on the substantive reports of the Secretary-General that have been prepared for the fiftieth session of the Commission on Population and Development". United Nations. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  13. "Qatar to chair UN meeting on population". The Peninsula. 1 April 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  14. "Review of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 61/16 on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council" (PDF). United Nations. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  15. "20th plenary meeting (A/C.6/75/SR.20)". United Nations. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
  16. "Sheikha Alya appointed to UNSC reform mission". Gulf Times. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
  17. "Objections of naysayers of reform 'remain frozen in time': India at United Nations". vnexplorer.net. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  18. "Objections Of Naysayers Of Reform "Remain Frozen In Time": India At UN". NDTV. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  19. "General Assembly of the United Nations | President of the 77th session". Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  20. "THE 17 GOALS | Sustainable Development". sdgs.un.org. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  21. "General Assembly Adopts Consensus Resolution Welcoming 2022 World Cup Football Championship Hosted by Qatar as First to Be Held in Middle East | UN Press". press.un.org. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  22. Team, ODS. "ODS HOME PAGE" (PDF). documents-dds-ny.un.org. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  23. Nations, United. "International Day to Protect Education from Attack". United Nations. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  24. "Human Rights Council – Resolution 8/4. The right to education" (PDF). 18 June 2008.
  25. Nations, United. "International Day of Women Judges". United Nations. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  26. Nations, United. "World Autism Awareness Day - EN". United Nations. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  27. "UNITED for GENDER PARITY |". www.un.org. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  28. "United Nations Photo - Gender PArity Group of friends photo op". dam.media.un.org. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  29. "IIIM – International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism". Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  30. "Group of Friends, a new education advocacy initiative to kick off at UN". UNESCO. January 21, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  31. "What is R2P?". Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect. Retrieved 2023-05-31.
  32. "Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Office for Project Services" (PDF). 19 December 2022.
  33. "Qatar joins Executive Board of UN-Women". thepeninsulaqatar.com. 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-06-06.
  34. "Publications". Georgetown University in Qatar. Retrieved 2023-06-06.

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