61st Session of UN General Assembly opens with first female Muslim President
14 September, 2006
The United Nations has opened its 61st session of the General Assembly, and for the first time, there is a Muslim woman at its helm. Haya Rashed Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who replaces Sweden’s Jan Eliasson as president of the body, has promised to focus on women’s issues and overall reform efforts during her tenure. She is only the third woman to lead the UN General Assembly.
For more information, see the UN News Centre article at http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=19809&Cr=general&Cr1=assembly and official UN biographical information on Sheikha Haya at http://www.un.org/ga/president/61/presskit/president.shtml.
