Waly hails Sisi’s support to women as she leaves office

CAIRO – 23 December 2019: Egypt’s Ghada Waly, the newly-appointed executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), has appreciated President Sisi’s full support to women, including nominating her for ministerial posts, as she left her post as social solidarity minister in Sunday’s Cabinet reshuffle.

In an interview with Mohamed al-Baz on Mihwar, Waly praised her ministerial successor, Nevin al-Qabbaj, an experienced official in the field of social protection and many related fields, saying that she enjoys high efficiency.

As pictures showed Waly and Qabbaj warmly hugging each other following the reshuffle, Waly said that it was normal as they both exchange feelings of love due to their cooperation at work during the past period.



Waly, 53, had served as social solidarity minister since 2014, during the governments of Ibrahim Mahlab, Sherif Ismail, and incumbent Mostafa Madbouli’s 1st tenure.

Waly, since she took post as minister, has developed the national anti-drug strategy, led a nation-wide drug awareness and prevention campaign among youth and pioneered innovative programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate persons with substance use disorders into society, the UN wrote on its website.

She also served as Coordinator of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Justice, Chairperson of the National Centre for Social and Criminological Research and chairs the Executive Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs in the League of Arab States.

Her previous leadership positions include Managing Director of the Social Fund for Development (2011‑2014), Assistant Resident Representative at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt (2004‑2011) and Program Director of CARE International in Egypt (2000‑2004).

Waly holds a master’s degree in humanities and Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages and literature from the Colorado State University. She is fluent in Arabic, English and French and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

In November, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres announced the appointment of Waly as the next executive director of the UNODC. Waly will also serve as Director‑General of the United Nations Office at Vienna. She succeeds Yury V. Fedotov of the Russian Federation.



Her successor, Qabbaj served as an assistant solidarity minister for social protection and then a deputy solidarity minister for social protection.

With 25 years of experience in the developmental fields, social protection, children protection, and strategic planning, Qabbaj, 54, who has many accomplishments in social solidarity, seems ready for her new post.

One of Qabbaj’s main accomplishments is the government program “Takaful w Karama,” translated as “Solidarity and Dignity,” a social safety net program, supported directly by the Egyptian state and leadership.