Saudi Arabia has appointed Amal Yahya al-Muallimi as its ambassador to Norway. She is the second woman in Saudi Arabia's history to be appointed ambassador.
It may be recalled that Princess Reema Bint Bandar had earlier been appointed Ambassador to the United States and is performing her duties.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, has taken oath as the new ambassador in the presence of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
According to the Saudi news agency SPA, Amal Yahya al-Muallimi has held a number of government positions - she has been the director general of international cooperation and organizations at the Saudi Human Rights Organization in Saudi Arabia since last year. She has previously served in a number of educational and professional institutions.
Amal al-Muallimi is the sister of Saudi Ambassador to the United Nations Abdullah Yahya al-Muallimi and the daughter of Yahya al-Muallimi, a well-known Saudi writer and assistant director of public order in the kingdom.
She was born in the well-known city of Qanfizah in the Makkah Mukarramah region to a family with close ties to Saudi diplomacy in the outside world.
Al-Muallimi holds a bachelor's degree in public relations and communication from the University of Denver, USA. He holds a BA Honors in English Literature from Amira Noora University and a Fellowship from the Center for Islamic Studies under Oxford University in the United Kingdom.
He began his professional career 20 years ago in the fields of education and social welfare. Worked as a teacher for five years - performed educational training for eight years and remained attached to the training institute in the Ministry of Education for one year.
Al-Muallimi was the director of the Women's Affairs Institute at the Shah Abdul Aziz National Dialogue Center from 2013 to 2015.
Al-Muallimi has participated in numerous international and national conferences.
Until recently, the field of diplomacy in Saudi Arabia was exclusively for men. Since the appointment of Princess Reema Bint Bandar as ambassador to Washington, women have also been promoted in diplomacy.
