UN Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Kuwaiti economist Rola Dashti as the next executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.
With this new appointment, Guterres strengthens its commitment to place women in positions of responsibility of the United Nations.
Dashti will succeed Iraqi Mohamed Ali Alhakim, whom Guterres thanked for his commitment and service, according to the United Nations in a statement.
The secretary general also thanked him for his dedication to Mounir Tabet, who will continue in the interim Executive Secretary until Dashti takes office.
Dashti, a prominent Kuwaiti economist and longtime advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, currently works as a member of the Supreme Planning Council in Kuwait.
From 2012 to 2014, she was Minister of Planning and Development and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs of her country, and played a key role in defending the decree that allows Kuwaiti women to vote and run for parliamentary elections. In May 2009 she became one of the first four women to be elected to the Kuwaiti Parliament.
He has also held key positions in research and development institutions, such as the Kuwait Scientific Research Institute, and has worked for leading local and international financial and development institutions, such as the National Bank of Kuwait and the World Bank.
Dashti holds a Ph.D. in Population Movements from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, a Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from California State University in Sacramento, and a Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Economics from California State University (EFEUSA). –
