Women are thriving in the diplomatic service, a government spokesman has said.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has employed women since 2008, when the first female competitive examination for diplomatic posts was advertised. The official MOFA spokesperson and director of media, Ambassador Osama Nugali, said: “In spite of the fact that Saudi women have recently entered the diplomatic scene, they are advancing in their diplomatic career path.”
Nugali added: “Diplomatic posts for both men and women start at the rank of an attache (equivalent to grade 6 in public services) and end at the rank of an ambassador (equivalent to grade 15). Additionally, top leadership positions for men and women alike require experience in diplomacy that is accumulated over the years.”
When asked about the incentives for women working at the ministry and holding high positions, Nugali said: “It is a fact that there are no regulations to prevent women from accessing top leadership positions in both public and private sectors in Saudi Arabia. MOFA is no exception. Indeed, one will find various examples of Saudi women in top-level positions in the two sectors.”
The ministry is keen to advance the careers of all its employees, through taking courses abroad and exposing them to other nationalities. To be a diplomat, proper etiquette and impeccable social skills are required.
“In line with Vision 2030, the ministry is committed, rather vigorously, to providing Saudi female diplomats with the academic and professional training needed to advance along their career path,” Nugali said.
Manal Al-Otaibi, a first secretary diplomat at MOFA, said: “The tasks assigned to female staff are not different from those of male colleagues. The standard is not gender, but competence, specialization and skill.
“Despite the recent appointment of women in the diplomatic corps, the internal and external training programs offered by the ministry to its staff, in cooperation with academic institutions and international organizations, have helped me and my colleagues improve proficiently.”
Statistics show that female employees at the ministry can be grouped as follows: 115 based at its headquarters in Riyadh and its branches throughout the Kingdom; 185 working in the Kingdom’s missions in Europe, the US, Asia and Africa, as well as the Kingdom’s permanent missions to international organizations such as the UN in New York and Geneva, plus the Arab League in Cairo and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Saudi women are making a positive impact through hard work and accumulated knowledge through experience and interactions with other diplomats in their field. On both a professional and personal level, young women such as Al-Otaibi are working hard to develop themselves.
Nugali said: “The Kingdom is keen to enhance the role of Saudi women and enable them to carry out their responsibilities. Hence, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 — with its emphasis on women’s pivotal role in the future of the Kingdom — aims to proactively create greater engagement of women and more ways to activate their leadership roles.”