Progress has been made on women's rights in the Kingdom under the reign of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. This is according to Ambassador Dr. Abdul Wahab Attar, representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations in Geneva. Delivering a speech Monday on behalf of the Kingdom to the Human Rights Council on Women's Rights, Attar highlighted plans to improve the skills of women. “Islamic law focuses on basic human rights and gives women their rights in all affairs of life,” he said. He added that Islamic law prohibits any violations and oppression of women. He pointed out that Saudi Arabia's signing of the convention against various forms of discrimination against women is evidence of the Kingdom's efforts to provide jobs for women and improve their role in society. He said females outnumber males in education. Attar added that there are currently 25,000 Saudi women studying abroad in various disciplines. He added that the number of women in the various ministries and government bodies has increased. He said some women have reached top positions, highlighting the appointment of a woman as the Deputy Minister of Education for Girls' Affairs and the director of Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman University. On the role of women in the private sector, Attar said that the number of business licenses given to Saudi women has now reached 40,000, an increase of 77 percent from a few years ago.
