HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed Al Saud appointed UN-Habitat Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Arab States
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) announced today the appointment of Her Royal Highness, Princess Lamia Bint Majed AlSaud, leading philanthropist and the Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global", chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, as UN-Habitat Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Arab States, during a press conference at the Tenth session of the World Urban Forum being held from 8 to13 February in Abu Dhabi.
Highly regarded for her humanitarian work and philanthropic efforts to advance sustainable and inclusive development for the most vulnerable, HRH in her role as Goodwill Ambassador will advocate for sustainable urbanization, helping UN-Habitat to address urban challenges in Arab states and advance sustainable urbanization as a driver of development and peace.
“UN-Habitat is very grateful for the commitment of HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed Al Saud to support sustainable urban development and better living standards for all. Her partnership with UN-Habitat will significantly contribute to UN-Habitat’s vision of socially and environmentally sustainable cities that leave no one and no place behind” said Ms Maimunah Mohamed Sharif, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat.
“UN-Habitat is delighted to welcome HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majed AlSaud in her new role as Goodwill Ambassador for Arab States. As a humanitarian activist, her engagement with UN-Habitat will support our efforts on accessible and affordable housing, recovery and reconstruction, and building back better. We look forward to her support to drive action on sustainable and inclusive urban development in cities across the region,” said UN-Habitat Regional Director for Arab States, Erfan Ali.
Commenting on the appointment, HRH Princess Lamia Bint Majid Al Saud, Secretary-General of Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global", said: ”I am greatly honoured to have been appointed as the first ever UN-Habitat Regional Goodwill Ambassador for the Arab world. Using the experience and lessons we have learned through our work over four decades, we will continue to face the world’s most pressing challenges with unwavering dedication, commitment, and intelligence to help countries and stakeholders address issues around urbanization and its implications on societies, economies and environments. We promise to continue building bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant and accepting future along with our key partners.”
About Her Royal Highness Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud AlSaud Her Royal Highness
Princess Lamia Bint Majed Saud AlSaud is the Secretary General and member of the Board of Trustees at Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global". Princess Lamia was appointed Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global" in April 2016, having previously served as Executive Manager of Media & Communication at the foundation. In 2017, Her Royal Highness received an honorary medal from the Vice President of Laos in recognition of her philanthropic efforts in the country. That same year, Princess Lamia was announced winner of the Achievement in Philanthropies Award at the Arab Women of the Year 2017, held in London.
Princess Lamia received the first of its kind “Change Maker Award” at the Aid & Trade Conference in London in recognition of her humanitarian and philanthropic efforts worldwide. Her Royal Highness was also presented with National Council’s first-ever Philanthropic Leadership Award to HRH in Washington, DC, “in recognition of HRH’s efforts to contribute to a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world.”
In 2018, Princess Lamia was awarded the “Woman Leader in Community Development Excellence Award” which was given by the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute honoring women leaders and executives in Dubai, UAE. In March 2018, Princess Lamia was honored with the Baden Powell Fellowship pin by the World Scout Foundation in recognition of AP’s contributions to the WSF’s support of youth around the world. The Princess was also appointed as the first Saudi to join the UN Women as a “Global Champion” for gender data equality.
In 2019, Princess Lamia was appointed by UNICEF as the first Middle Eastern and Non-government leader to join the “Generation Unlimited Champion committee” to provide successful futures for 1.8 billion young people across the world.
For 4 decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global" has supported and spent more than 4 billion dollars on social welfare and initiated more than 1000 projects in over +189 countries, managed by 10 Saudi female members, reaching more than 1 billion beneficiaries around the world, regardless of gender, race, or religion. Alwaleed Philanthropies "Global" collaborates with a range of philanthropic, governmental, and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief and create cultural understanding through education. It seeks to build bridges for a more compassionate, tolerant, and accepting world.
