Dr. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi

" Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World"

September 19, 2007 - Ottawa

Dr. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi is the chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR) and the principal architect of the series. She also chairs the UN Global Democracy Fund Advisory Board, and is a Trustee of the American University of Beirut. She is a regular contributor to regional and international policy forums concerned with the state of development in the Arab world. The main objective of her visit is to provide an overview on the latest report issued by the UNDP regarding Arab Human Development. The " Towards the Rise of Women in the Arab World" report covers few topics including : worsening human rights violations in the Arab countries,  levels of well being, use of human capabilities, the Arab Women`s Movement: Struggles and Experiences , the Societal Context of the State of Women and others.  Dr. Khalaf's visit will help to spread more understanding of issues pertaining to international development and development policies related to  the Middle East in general and more specifically on policies concerning Arab women.


Between September 2000 and February 2006, she served as Assistant Secretary-General and Director, Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS), at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Under her leadership, the Regional Bureau launched the AHDR series, the first issue of which, entitled “Creating Opportunities for Future Generations”, appeared in July 2002 and received the 2003 Prince Claus Award in “recognition of exceptional achievements in the field of culture and development”. The second report, on “Building A Knowledge Society”, came out in October 2003 and the third, “Towards Freedom in the Arab World”, was published in April 2005. The latter received the prestigious King Hussein Leadership Prize, which annually recognizes individuals, groups and institutions that have “demonstrated exceptional leadership in their efforts to advocate for and promote sustainable development, equity, human rights, tolerance and cross-cultural understanding, and peace”.

In 2005, the League of Arab States honoured her with its award for “the Most Distinguished Arab Woman in the Field of International Organizations”. Dr. Khalaf Hunaidi has also pioneered important regional initiatives on Arab education, knowledge acquisition and economic growth. Before joining UNDP, she was Deputy Prime Minister of Jordan where, as head of the ministerial economic team, she promoted the drive for economic reform in Jordan while simultaneously working on a package for building human capabilities, alleviating human poverty and strengthening social safety nets. She also served as Minister of Planning and Minister of Industry and Trade; she was also a Senator in the Upper House of the Jordanian Parliament. Dr. Khalaf Hunaidi has a degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut, and holds an MA in Economics and a Doctorate in Systems Science from Portland State University.