Today's Edition
MUDHI ALOBTHANI (ABU DHABI)
Bilateral negotiations and humanitarian action may seem two very different worlds, but for two Emirati women in diplomacy, they are two sides of the same mission.
Rawda Abdalla Al Sayegh operates within the structured world of foreign policy, dealing with negotiations, global positioning, and long-term national strategy. Shahad Al Abdouli has worked on the ground in crisis zones, where policy meets urgent human need.
On International Day for Women in Diplomacy, their stories offer a picture of how Emirati women are shaping the country's international presence.
Rawda Al Sayegh: The Heart of Modern Diplomacy
For Al Sayegh, the UAE's women did not "enter" diplomacy late. Rather, diplomacy expanded to include them more visibly.
Emirati women, she argued, were already shaping society long before they entered formal international relations — through family, community, and cultural life.
"The evolving role of Emirati women in diplomacy is part of a much longer national story," Al Sayegh said. "What has changed is not their capacity, but the arenas in which that influence is exercised."
Today, Emirati women are not symbolic representatives but active participants in making policy, building consensus, and advancing national interests on the global stage.
Al Sayegh described effective diplomacy as a balance between strategic thinking and emotional intelligence, holding firm national positions while remaining attuned to the human stakes behind every decision.
"In complex negotiations, you need clarity, but also the ability to understand the human impact behind every decision,” she said.
Her work on the BRICS file was a formative experience. She witnessed diplomacy in its most demanding form, involving layered discussions, strategic coordination, and long-term positioning.
Through the experience, she learnt the fundamentals of the UAE’s diplomatic approach: it is not reactive, but deliberate. "We build bridges, maintain open channels, and expand partnerships while remaining clear about our national interests,” Al Sayegh said.
Shahad Al Abdouli: When Diplomacy Becomes Human
Al Abdouli’s path into diplomacy ran through humanitarian operations. An engineer, media trainer, poet, and speaker, she has worked on missions including Operation Chivalrous Knight 2 in Syria, and Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, supporting Gaza relief efforts in Egypt.
It was there that she came to see aid work as a form of diplomacy in its own right.
"Every relief aircraft carrying UAE aid was a diplomatic message in itself,” she said. “It was not just assistance — it was presence, identity, and responsibility."
On the ground, Al Abdouli saw diplomacy take on a tangible form. But what she remembered most was not the scale of operations, but the human detail. A child receiving aid. A family waiting for relief. A moment of silence before distribution begins.
From these experiences, she drew three principles that continued to guide her work: dignity — people need to be seen, not pitied; patience — real change happens over time, not in headlines; and listening — understanding what is actually needed before offering anything.
"In the field, the most important skill is not speaking. It is understanding,” Al Abdouli said.
She is candid about the emotional weight of the work, but frames it as responsibility rather than burden. "The strongest diplomatic messages are not written. They are lived."
