Saudi Arabia occupies an advanced world position in terms of female political participation, it was announced in Geneva today. A statement issued by the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) noted that Saudi women participated in government at a rate of 19.9 percent, one of the higher positions internationally. The IPU cited a newly released world map illustrating the level of female participation in politics.

Commenting on the news, Faisal bin Hasan Trad, Saudi Arabia’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, attributed the achievement to the decision made earlier by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz allotting 30 seats for women in the membership of the Shura Council.