Safia Taleb Ali al-Souhail

Safia Taleb Ali al-Souhail was born in 1965 and comes from Bani Tamim clan and Al Souhail Family, one of the most distinguished Iraqi families. Second daughter from seven Daughters of Sheikh Talib al Souhail the Iraqi well-known political figure and chief of Bani Tamim Clan which is one of the prominent tribes in Iraq and Arab world. Her Father assassination in Beirut in 1994 was politically motivated. She has worked to secure that the new Iraqi constitution of 2005 would include – particularly in the area of rights and freedoms – items on human rights, basic freedoms, women’s rights and political participation for Women and Youth. In 2004 she became Extraordinary Ambassador, the first women to be appointed as an Ambassador in the history of the Iraqi state. She has been also a member of Ira- q’s Council of Representatives for two consecutive cycles (2005 - 2013) as an independent political figure representing the Baghdad constituency and managed to get a seat outside the women’s quota system. She also has been leading member of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Council of Representatives and the Chairperson of the Iraqi Parliamentary Friendship Committee with the European Union. She is member of Tribal caucus – Iraqi parliament and Member of Women Caucus/Iraqi Parliament. Safia Taleb was appointed Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (headquarters) and Head of the Europe 2014-2016 and the Iraqi Ambassador to The Hashemite kingdom Of Jordan since 2016.

She has been executive manager of the Unit of Middle East & Islamic World in the International Alliance for Justice, an international organization based in Paris and involves a network of 275 international non-governmental organizations from more than 120 countries. Safia Taleb Ali al-Souhail has met with a lot of the heads of state and high ranking officials and dignitaries before and after 2003and has participated in many regional and international conferences including those at the United Nations in New York and Genève, American congress, European Union, European commission and parliament, Arab League, and inter-parliamentary Union. She has taken part in conferences on national reconciliation inside Iraq and abroad and chaired the Committee of National Balance and Expansion of Political Participation and has been Head of Safia al-Souhail Cultural Council which was established in April 2009 which organizes and supports monthly cultural and literary activities- as well as member of the Baghdadi Councils Society and an activist in defending minorities and smaller components and religions rights, participating in many campaigns of solidarity, peace and war prevention. Activist in defending the rights of individuals with special needs and an honorary leading member of the Iraqi Disabled Forum, she has supported humanitarian, cultural, legal, and women civil society organizations. Safia has worked to establish ties of communication between the civil society and international community.

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