Sima Sami Bahous (born 26 June 1956) has been Jordan's Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

since August 2016. She was appointed as Executive Director for

UN Women The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women, is a United Nations entity working for gender equality and the empowerment of women. UN Women advocates for the rights of women and girls, and foc ...

in September 2021.

Early life and education

Bahous was born in June 1956. She has a bachelor's degree in English literature from the

University of Jordan The University of Jordan ( ar, الجامعة الأردنية), often abbreviated UJ, is a public university located in Amman, Jordan. Founded in 1962 by royal decree, it is the largest and oldest institution of higher education in Jordan. ...

, a master's degree in literature and drama from the

University of Essex The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, Essex is one of the original plate glass universities. Essex's shield consists of the ancient arms attributed to the Kingdom of Es ...

and a PhD in communications and development from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. Her dissertation was entitled "Communication Policy and Planning for Development: The Jordan Television Corporation: A Case Study (1988)."

Career

Bahous was head of communications at

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...

in Amman from 1994 to 1995 and a development advisor at the

World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of ...

Sanaa Sanaa ( ar, صَنْعَاء, ' , Yemeni Arabic: ; Old South Arabian: 𐩮𐩬𐩲𐩥 ''Ṣnʿw''), also spelled Sana'a or Sana, is the capital and largest city in Yemen and the centre of Sanaa Governorate. The city is not part of the Gover ...

from 1996 to 1997. She returned to Jordan in 1997 to serve as Executive Director of the

King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...

and Noor Al Hussein Foundations until 2001, before becoming head of media and information at the Royal Hashemite Court and an advisor to King Abdullah. Bahous also served as head of the Higher Media Council in Jordan from 2005 to 2008. From 2008 to 2012 she was Assistant Secretary General at the League of Arab States in Cairo. From 2012, Bahous served as Assistant Secretary-General for the

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

and Administrator and Director of the UNDP's Regional Bureau for

Arab states The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

. In August 2016, she was appointed as Jordan's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, replacing Dina Kawar who was appointed as Jordan's ambassador to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

Publications

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Personal life

Bahous is married to Ziad Rifai and has one daughter, Jahan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahous, Sima Sami Living people 1956 births University of Jordan alumni Alumni of the University of Essex Indiana University alumni Permanent Representatives of Jordan to the United Nations Jordanian women ambassadors Jordanian women diplomats