Sima Bahous

Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women

Ms. Sima Bahous was appointed as Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) in 2021. Before that, she served as Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations in New York. Prior to this position, she served as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme) (2012-2016) and Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Development Sector at the League of Arab States, (2008-2012). She has also served in two ministerial posts in Jordan as President of the Higher Media Council  (2005-2008) and as Adviser to King Abdullah II (2003-2005). She was Media Adviser and Director of Communication for the Royal Hashemite Court  (2001-2003), Acting Executive Director for the King Hussein Foundation (200-2001) and Executive Director of the Noor Al Hussein Foundation(1998-2001). She also worked for UNICEF and with a number of United Nations and civil society organizations, and taught development and communication studies at different universities in Jordan.

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