Dr. Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, U.N. Under-Secretary General and executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will focus upon the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in her talk, "ICPD is What I Am About," at Rider University Thursday, November 4 from noon to 1 p.m. in Sweigart Auditorium.

Obaid's visit is co-sponsored by Global and Multinational Studies, Multicultural Studies Program, the Global and Multinational Studies Society, the Political Science Club, and the Public Relations Society.

The first Saudi Arabian named head of a United Nations agency, Dr. Obaid presides over the world's largest multilateral source of population assistance. She was appointed to her post in 2001. From 1998 to 2001, she served as director of the division for Arab States and Europe under the UNFPA. Prior to joining the organization, she was deputy executive secretary for the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

Over the years, Obaid has worked with governments to establish programs to empower women. In this capacity, she has served as social affairs officer, responsible for the advancement of women within ESCWA and UNFPA. In 1975, Obaid established the first women's development program in the Western Asia region. The program played an instrumental role in building partnerships between the United Nations and regional women's non-governmental organizations.

Obaid's other accomplishments have included chairing the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force on Gender in Amman, Jordan; serving as a member of the United Nations Inter-Agency Gender Mission to Afghanistan; and as a member of the United Nations Strategic Framework Mission to Afghanistan.

For further information, call Dr. Roberta Fiske-Rusciano at (609) 895-5761.