Sima Sami Bahous

{{Short description|United Nations Diplomat}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name =  | native_name = {{nobold|سيما سامي بحوث}} | native_name_lang = ar | honorific_suffix = | image = File:Sima Sami Bahous - 2023 (cropped).jpg | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = Bahous in 2023 | order = | office = Executive Director of UN Women | status =  | term_start = 2021 | term_end =  | monarch = | majority = | predecessor = | successor =  | pronunciation = | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1956|6|26}} | birth_place = | death_date =  | death_place = | death_cause =  | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | citizenship = Jordanian | spouse = | children = | alma_mater = | profession = | known_for = | prior_term = | office2 = Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations | term_start2 = 2016 | term_end2 = 2021 | office3 = UNDP Director for<br>Arab States | term_start3 = 2012 | term_end3 = 2016 | office4 = Assistant Secretary-General<br>of the Arab League | term_start4 = 2008 | term_end4 = 2012 }} '''Sima Sami Bahous''' (Arabic: سيما سامي بحوث ; born 26 June 1956) is a Jordanian diplomat and women's rights advocate, and has served as Executive Director of UN Women since 2021. She previously served as Jordan's Ambassador to the United Nations from 2016 to 2021. Earlier, she was Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt.

==Early life and education== Bahous is Jordanian, and was born in June 1956.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/sima-sami-bahous|work=The Huffington Post|title=Sima Bahous}}</ref> She has a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Jordan, a master's degree in literature and drama from the University of Essex, and a PhD in mass communications and development from Indiana University.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://washdiplomat.com/her-excellency-dina-kawar/|title=Her Excellency Dr. Sima Sami Bahous|date=May 21, 2015|work=The Washington Diplomat}}</ref><ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/bio4876.doc.htm|title=New Permanent Representative of Jordan Presents Credentials|date=22 August 2016|access-date=18 August 2017|publisher=United Nations}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2012/sga1324.doc.htm|publisher=United Nations|title=Secretary-General Appoints Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan Director of Regional Bureau for Arab States, United Nations Development Programme|date=22 February 2012|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref> She is fluent in Arabic and English.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://jordan.unwomen.org/en/about-us/executive-director|title=Executive Director|website=UN Women – Jordan}}</ref>

==Career==

In Amman, Jordan, from 1994 to 1995 Bahous was head of communications at UNICEF. From 1996 to 1997 in Sanaa, Yemen, she was then a development advisor at the World Health Organization.<ref name="bio" />

She returned to Jordan in 1997, and served from 1998 to 2001 as Executive Director of the Jordanian King Hussein and Noor Al Hussein Foundations.<ref name="auto1"/> From 2001 to 2003 she was head of media and communication at the Jordanian Royal Hashemite Court, and from 2003 to 2005 an advisor to Jordanian King Abdullah.<ref name="bio" /><ref name="jt" /><ref name="auto1"/> Bahous served as head of the Jordanian Higher Media Council from 2005 to 2008.<ref name="auto1"/>

From 2008 to 2012, she was Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League in Cairo, Egypt.<ref name="auto1"/> In this role, she led a number of Arab League departments.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/author/sima-sami-bahous|title=Sima Bahous|website=The Huffington Post}}</ref> From 2012 to 2016, Bahous served as Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Administrator and Director of the UNDP's Regional Bureau for Arab States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ipinst.org/2016/06/political-obstacles-rule-of-law-human-rights#11|title=Bahous: Politics Necessary for Achieving SDGs|date=30 June 2016|access-date=18 August 2017|publisher=International Peace Institute}}</ref> In this post, Bahous led UNDP's 18 Arab region programme offices.<ref name="auto2"/>

In 2016, she was appointed the Permanent Representative of Jordan to the United Nations in New York.<ref name=bio/><ref name=jt>{{cite web|url=http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/sima-bahous-appointed-jordan’s-permanent-representative-un|title=Sima Bahous appointed Jordan's permanent representative to UN|work=Jordan Times|date=18 August 2016|access-date=18 August 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-09-13|title=Gender equality 'champion' Sima Sami Bahous to lead UN Women|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/09/1099802|access-date=2021-09-17|website=UN News|language=en}}</ref>

In 2021, Jordanian King Abdullah II bestowed upon her the Order of The State Centennial in appreciation of her services to Jordan.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

On 30 September 2021 she became UN Women's third Executive Director.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://press.un.org/en/2021/sga2062.doc.htm|title=Secretary-General Appoints Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan Executive Director of UN-Women {{pipe}} UN Press|website=press.un.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.womenglobalaward.org/en/about/international-jury-members|title=International Jury Members|website=womenglobalaward.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2021/09/16/gender-equality-champion-sima-sami-bahous-to-lead-un-women/|title=Gender equality champion Sima Sami Bahous to lead UN Women |publisher=Modern Diplomacy |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-date=16 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916211410/https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2021/09/16/gender-equality-champion-sima-sami-bahous-to-lead-un-women/ |url-status=live }}</ref> She was described by the United Nations Secretary General as: "A champion for women and girls."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/profiles/sima-bahous|title=Executive Director of UN-Women {{pipe}} United Nations Secretary-General|website=www.un.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://morungexpress.com/guterres-appoints-new-un-women-chief|title=Guterres appoints new UN Women chief|website=Morung Express}}</ref>

== Criticism == During Bahous's tenure as UN Women Executive Director, UN Women and Bahous were criticized for expressing concerns on the effects of war on Palestinian women,<ref name="auto3">https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2023/12/un-women-statement-on-the-situation-in-israel-and-gaza</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/speech/2023/11/speech-now-more-than-ever-we-must-seek-peace|title=Speech: Now more than ever we must seek peace {{pipe}} UN Women – Headquarters}}</ref><ref>https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2023/10/un-women-statement-on-the-situation-in-israel-and-the-occupied-palestinian-territory</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v46/n09/azadeh-moaveni/what-they-did-to-our-women|title=What They Did to Our Women|first=Azadeh|last=Moaveni|date=May 9, 2024|volume=46|issue=09|via=www.lrb.co.uk}}</ref> while remaining silent on Hamas' sexual and gender-based violence in the 7 October attack on Israeli civilian women and female minors. The organization under her leadership was criticized for the lengthy delay in its response, a response that followed <ref>What They Did to Our Women. Azadeh Moaveni on sexual violence in wartime, London review of Books Sept 2024)</ref> the organization's alleged<ref name="auto3"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://theintercept.com/2023/12/24/feminism-sexual-violence-hamas-israel/|title=There Was No Cover-Up of Hamas's Sexual Violence on October 7|first=Judith|last=Levine|date=December 24, 2023}}</ref> silence during the war.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Greenaway |first=Naomi |date=2023-11-29 |title=The UN's silence on the rape of Israeli women makes a mockery of its campaign against violence |language=en-GB |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/11/29/the-uns-silence-on-the-rape-of-israeli-women-makes-a-mocker/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |issn=0307-1235}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sforza |first=Lauren |date=2023-11-30 |title=House lawmakers accuse UN Women of disregarding Hamas attack |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4335175-house-lawmakers-accuse-un-women-hamas-attack/ |access-date=2023-12-01 |website=The Hill |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/united-nations-slammed-silence-hamas-rapes-mutilation-murder-israeli-women-critics-say|title=United Nations slammed for silence over Hamas rapes, mutilation and murder of Israeli women, critics say|first=Ruth Marks|last=Eglash|date=November 19, 2023|website=Fox News}}</ref>

As reported by ''The New York Times'', at the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, said he sent two letters about the use of rape by Hamas militants, appended with photographs of victims' bodies, to Bahous. He said: "I got no response whatsoever. Not even, 'We received your letter.'"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/04/world/middleeast/israel-hamas-sexual-violence-un.html|title=Accounts of Sexual Violence by Hamas Are Aired Amid Criticism of U.N.|first1=Katherine|last1=Rosman|first2=Lisa|last2=Lerer|date=December 5, 2023|work=The New York Times}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2023/12/05/horrific-things-i-saw-with-my-own-eyes-un-criticised-as-hearing-told-of-hamas-sexual-violence/|title='Horrific things I saw with my own eyes': UN criticised as hearing told of Hamas sexual violence|website=The Irish Times}}</ref> Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen called on Bahous to resign.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-led-un-special-session-condemns-world-silence-on-hamas-using-rape-as-weapon-of-war/|title=Israel-led UN special session condemns world silence on Hamas using rape as weapon of war|work=The Times of Israel}}</ref> An analysis of her X posts and those of UN Women indicated that out of dozens of them, there were no condemnations of Hamas, and almost zero posts in the first week of the war.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s1unmexba|title=Israel demands ousting of UN Women head over 'blatant disregard' for Israeli victims|first=Itamar|last=Eichner|date=November 28, 2023|work=ynetnews.com}}</ref>

Actress Natalie Portman posted on Instagram, and asked people to contact Bahous, providing her email address.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ynetnews.com/culture/article/bj7pezeep|title=Natalie Portman to Hamas hostage families: 'I cry with you'|first=Inbal|last=Hananel|date=November 14, 2023|work=ynetnews.com}}</ref> She wrote, addressing Bahous: <blockquote>"Women's organizations have neglected their role and abandoned the hostages in Gaza. They must take a stand now! The heinous sexual crimes committed against Israeli women on October 7th by Hamas are war crimes and crimes against humanity. Distance yourself from these crimes. You are committed to preserving women's rights without distinction of religion, race, or gender."<ref name="auto"/></blockquote>

==Publications==

*{{cite web|url=http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContentP/4/126474/Opinion/New-momentum-in-response-to-the-Syria-crisis-We-mu.aspx|title=New momentum in response to the Syria crisis: We must seize the moment|first=Sima|last=Bahous|date=31 March 2015|work=Ahram}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/blog/2015/11/5/Saving-lives-preserving-dignity-and-securing-the-future-in-Syria.html|title=Saving lives, preserving dignity, and securing the future in Syria|date=5 November 2015|first=Sima|last=Bahous|publisher=UNDP}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sima-sami-bahous/water-more-important-than_b_4394481.html|work=The Huffington Post|title=Water More Important Than Oil for the Future of the Arab World|first=Sima|last=Bahous}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/creating-opportunities-fo_b_5070613.html|work=The Huffington Post|title=Creating Opportunities for Youth — The Way Forward for the Arab World|date=1 April 2014|first=Sima|last=Bahous}}

==Personal life== Bahous is married to Ziad Rifai and has one daughter, Jahan.<ref name=jordan>{{cite web|url=http://www.missionjordanun.org/the-ambassador.html|title=Ambassador|publisher=The Permanent Mission of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bahous, Sima Sami}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Essex Category:Arab League people Category:Indiana University Bloomington alumni Category:Women ambassadors of Jordan Category:Jordanian women diplomats Category:Permanent representatives of Jordan to the United Nations Category:UNICEF people Category:University of Jordan alumni Category:21st-century diplomats Category:Executive Directors of UN Women