• Wednesday, June 22, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Japan will present its Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun to Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). One of Japan’s most prestigious awards that was instituted in 1875, the Order of the Rising Sun is presented by the Emperor to persons with long and commendable service.

Obaid was awarded the high honour in acknowledgement of her contributions to Japan's policy on maternal and child health, and for her efforts to promote international cooperation in the fields of population and development, according to a statement by the Japanese Government.

'I present my sincere congratulations to Thoraya for this great honour that she truly deserves, given her lifelong dedication to the rights and causes of women around the world,' said UNFPA Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin. 'This honour is a tribute to the leadership of Thoraya and also the leadership of Japan to address population and development.'

During her tenure as UNFPA’s Executive Director from 2000 to 2010, Obaid paid 10 visits to Japan, where she met with Their Imperial Highness Prince and Princess Akishino, as well as with a number of ministers and senior officials. Obaid also gave lectures at the University of Tokyo and at the Kwansei Gakuin University in Kobe.

Obaid is the first Saudi Arabian to lead a United Nations agency, and the first Saudi Arabian woman to receive a government scholarship to a university in the United States.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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