Sheikha Alya bint Ahmed bin Saif bin Ahmed Al-Thani, the new Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations Office at Geneva, presented her credentials to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. Prior to her appointment to Geneva, sheikha Alya Al-Thani had been serving as Ambassador to the Cabinet of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since August 2011. She served at the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations in New York from April 2007 to July 2011, first as Counselor, then as Minister Plenipotentiary and finally as Deputy Permanent Representative. Sheikha Alya Al-Thani was a member of the General Secretariat of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs of Qatar from September 1999 to March 2007, first as a researcher in the Department of Research and Planning, as a Senior Specialist in the Department of International Relations, as Acting Director of the Child Rights Department and finally as Director of the Division of the Rights of the Child. She served as a member of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child from 2007 to 2009. She has also represented Qatar in numerous United Nations meetings of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Commission for Social Development, the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council, the Commission on Human Rights and others. Sheikha Alya Al-Thani has a B.Sc. in economics from Qatar University, Faculty of Administration, Science and Economics (1996) and an MA in international studies and diplomacy from the University of London - School of Oriental and African Studies (2005-2006).
