Who is Aseil Al-Shehail? Saudi Arabia's new ambassador to Sweden

RIYADH — Saudi diplomat Aseil bint Sultan Al-Shehail has drawn attention after taking the oath of office before Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman as one of the Kingdom's newly appointed ambassadors.Al-Shehail was recently appointed as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Ambassador to Sweden and non-resident Ambassador to Iceland.She is regarded as one of the first Saudi women to gain international prominence in diplomacy through her work on human rights at the United Nations. In 2010, she was elected to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child after being nominated by Saudi Arabia.Her election followed a highly competitive two-year selection process that included interviews, evaluations of candidates' priorities and objectives, and debates assessing their expertise and knowledge of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.As a member of the committee, Al-Shehail was responsible for reviewing how governments implemented the Convention on the Rights of the Child and whether their national legislation complied with the treaty's provisions protecting children up to the age of 18.Al-Shehail holds both bachelor's and master's degrees in political science with a specialization in international relations. She also completed a fellowship in international human rights law at the New York University School of Law.Throughout her career at the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, she steadily advanced through the diplomatic ranks, attaining the position of Minister Plenipotentiary in 2023.Among her most notable assignments was leading and participating in humanitarian diplomacy meetings with international partners. She also headed the Saudi diplomatic delegation in joint working groups involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), and the United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), coordinating humanitarian assistance and responses to international crises.