Soraya Obaid

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Thoraya Obaid 2009

Soraya (Thoraya) Obaid (born March 2, 1945 in Baghdad , Iraq ) was an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund .

Obaid is from Saudi Arabia and has held the post of Executive Director since January 1, 2001. She is the first person with Saudi citizenship to hold a leadership position in a United Nations body.

Obaid is married and has two daughters. In 1963, Obaid became the first Saudi woman to study in the United States on a state scholarship . She received her Ph. D. in 1974 from Wayne State University . She is mainly involved in the area of ​​family and women's policy. After the US stopped all financial contributions to the Population Fund in 2002, it criticized US President George W. Bush personally with the words: "Because of this decision, Mr. President, women and children will die." The US refuses to any financial help today.

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