Her Highness Princess Abeer Al Saud Visits UNITAR to Advance Shared Priorities for Sustainable Development

The meeting between Her Highness Princess Abeer S. bin Farhan Al Saud, UNITAR Executive Director Ms. Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, and Division for Prosperity Director Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto was a powerful convergence of female leadership. Together, these visionary women brought a wealth of experience, purpose, and global perspective to the conversation, underscoring the essential role of women in shaping inclusive development and international cooperation. Their dialogue reflected a shared commitment to advancing meaningful change through knowledge, innovation, and the empowerment of communities worldwide. The discussion also covered capacity-building efforts led by Her Highness, advancing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) and the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) agendas. For instance, in 2019, Her Highness led a pioneering initiative aligning with the WPS agenda under UN Security Council Resolution 1325. Her leadership resulted in a 14-month secondment programme involving over 80 Saudi participants from 16 ministries, with a strategic focus on inclusion: 40% of participants were women, and over 60% were under the age of 35.

Ms. Ke Wang, Her Highness’s partner, joined virtually via Zoom for a separate meeting that brought together Her Highness, Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, and members of the Division for Prosperity team.

During the engagements, Her Highness was introduced to UNITAR’s broad spectrum of capacity-building work, spanning digital innovation, financial inclusion, climate action, and the empowerment of women and youth. The meetings served as a platform to discuss shared values and explore opportunities for collaboration rooted in a common pursuit of knowledge-driven progress.

Her Highness’s visit brought renewed energy to UNITAR’s ongoing efforts to deepen partnerships in the Gulf region and beyond. The conversations were marked by a forward-looking spirit, anchored in mutual respect and a shared ambition to support the next generation of changemakers through training, education, and international cooperation.