Sheikha Najla Al Qasimi

Shaikha Najlaa Mohammad Salem Al Qasimi (Arabic: نجلاء محمد القاسمي, born 1970)^[1] is a United Arab Emirates diplomat who has served as the UAE's Ambassador to Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Portugal.

Sheikha Najla Al Qasimi
نجلاء محمد القاسمي‎
Ambassador to Sweden
In office 2008–?
President	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ambassador to Denmark
In office ?–?
President	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ambassador to Finland
In office ?–?
President	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
Ambassador to Portugal
In office ?–?
President	Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Personal life

Al Qasimi has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the United Arab Emirates University.^[2][1] She has an MSc and a PhD from Stockholm University.^[3]

Career

In, Al Qasimi joined HSBC bank in a graduate role.^[2] She later for the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.^[2][4] She began her political career in 2005 as a secretary.^[1] She worked at the European and American Affairs in Abu Dhabi, and a United Nations diplomat in Geneva, Switzerland.^[4] In 2008, Al Qasimi was appointed as the UAE ambassador to Sweden. Al Qasimi and Hissa Abdulla Ahmed Al-Otaiba were the first two female UAE ambassadors.^[5][6] At the time, there were 3,000 Emiratis in Sweden, and just 12 Emiratis in Stockholm, where the embassy is located.^[4] She later worked as the UAE ambassador to Finland and Denmark,^[2] before becoming UAE ambassador to Portugal.^[7]

Aside from her ambassadorial roles, Al Qasimi has been on the board of Women for Sustainable Growth and Women in International Security.^[2] She currently works as a lecturer at Zayed University in Dubai, UAE.^[3]

References

1. "New envoys urged to lift UAE's stature". Gulf News. 21 September 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
2. "Najla Al Qassimi". ESBRI. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
3. "Najla Al Qasemi". Zayed University. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
4. "Breaking through the glass ceiling". The National. Abu Dhabi. 6 December 2008. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
5. Kelly, Sanja; Breslin, Julia (July 2010). Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa: Progress Amid Resistance. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 54. ISBN 9781442203976.
6. Samier, Eugenie A.; Milley, Peter (July 2020). Educational Administration and Leadership Identity Formation: International Theories, Problems and Challenges. Routledge. ISBN 9781000075854.
7. "UAE- Najla Al Qasimi Portuguese envoy attend launch ceremony of novel Run To Eternity". Mena FM. 15 November 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2020.