The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on Monday, announced the appointment of five additional Joint Secretaries, increasing the percentage of female joint secretaries to 62.
Congratulating the five new secretaries, Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid welcomed the marked increase in female representation, describing it as the result of efforts to encourage more women to serve in top positions at the ministry.
More than half of the diplomatic missions managed by Foreign Ministry are now run by women.
Warm congratulations to the five newly appointed Joint Secretaries at @MoFAmv.
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) August 10, 2020
Very pleased to note that with these appointments, 62 % of Joint Secretaries in the Ministry are women - a result of our efforts to encourage more women in leadership positions in the Ministry!
The five individuals, three of whom are women, were serving in the position of Director-General prior to their latest appointment.
All newly appointed joint secretaries possess Master's Degrees and have served in the foreign ministry for more than a decade, with some individuals having served for 20 years.
The position of Director General was abolished after the five individuals were promoted.
The ministry also noted that joint secretaries are not entitled to allowances granted under civil service regulations. Therefore, the five newly appointed joint secretaries will receive a lower overall amount as take-home pay.