Dr Alanoud Alsharekh, AIWF Board Member and Consulting Partner, Ibtkar Strategic Consulting, was awarded the knighthood of the National Order of Merit by the French Government on 08 February 2017, in appreciation of all her important work on women’s empowerment in the MENA region and beyond. Dr Alsharekh is the first Kuwaiti to receive this award for the defence of women’s rights.
With a BA from King’s College, London and a Master’s and PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), Dr Alanoud Al Sharekh has worked as a gender politics consultant for UNIFEM, Freedom House, and the UNDP on academic and social outreach projects in Kuwait and the GCC. Her teaching posts have included Kuwait University, Gulf University of Science and Technology and the Arab Open University. Dr Alsharekh is also a visiting lecturer at Uppsala University, Sweden, a Lecturer on Islam and Britain at SOAS, and Fulbright Scholar on Women and Islam at Whittier College, USA. She has published several books and articles on gender, cultural politics, and kinship policies in the GCC, including Popular Culture and Political Identity in the Arab Gulf States.
Dr Alsharekh is a truly inspirational role model for young women leaders in the region and internationally and AIWF extends its warmest congratulations to her on this momentous achievement. AIWF is immensely proud to have the benefit of her insight and experience as a valued Board Member of the Arab International Women’s Forum towards our shared vision for inclusive youth development and women’s social, economic and political empowerment.
