A Bahraini Woman Was President of the United Nations General Assembly 2006-2007

Sheikha Haya Alkhalifa was the first woman Muslim President of the 61st session of the United Nations General Assembly between 2006-2007. Only the third woman to hold the position since 1969, Sheikha Haya was elected by acclamation after the group of Asian nations chose the Kingdom of Bahrain as its candidate.

A champion of women’s rights, particularly in the legal sphere, Sheikha Haya has been an active participant in the movement to elevate the position of women in Bahrain and is an advocate of a progressive interpretation of Islamic texts as they apply to women.

She was a vice-president of the Bahrain Bar Society, as well as a member of the Supreme Council of Culture, Art and Literature. She is currently a member of Bahrain’s Child Development Society and the Arab Women’s Legal Network.