A Saudi Princess has talked on women's empowerment issues in the Arab world and most notably in Saudi Arabia on a series of interviews on American media outlets, including CNN's Piers Morgan, Bloomberg's Jenna Goudreau and The Huffington Post's Laura Stampler. Princess Ameerah Al-Taweel, vice chairwoman of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, made the media appearances following last week's announcement in the Gulf Kingdom that women would be allowed to run for local office and vote in the 2015 ballot. The wife of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Al-Saud, the chairman of the Kingdom Holding Company, also took place in a panel discussion “Voices for Change in the MENA” moderated by former American President Bill Clinton. Lauding the Saudi King's announcement, the princess said, “King Abdullah is a reformer; he is for women's empowerment.” She is a graduate of New Haven University with a degree in Business Administration and is a board member of Silatech, an international youth employment organization. Speaking at the panel discussion, Taweel said, “We are not problems to be solved, we are problem solvers, we should not be looked at as a threat but as an opportunity.” The session moderated by Clinton focused on current issues in the MENA region including youth influence and prominent on society, the impact of new technology, the role and empowerment of girls and women, and employment challenges. During the discussion, the Princess spoke about the issue of women and youth in the Arab world and their need for support through the establishment of non-government organizations (NGOs), building civil society and investing in the region's youth. “People take their voices to the streets when they are not heard by their governments. If we want stability in the region, we must build institutions of civil society so people can channel their demands through these institutions,” she noted. “If we want prosperity in the region we must invest in young people through encouraging enterprise,” she added. BM
