Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi

About

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Al Ketbi (Arabic: فاطمة بنت مبارك الكتبي; born c. 1943) was the third wife of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founder and inaugural president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Sheikha Fatima was born in Al-Hayer, Al Ain Region, as the only daughter to her parents. Her family is Bedouin and religious.

Sheikha Fatima is a supporter of women’s rights in the UAE. She heads the UAE’s General Women Union (GWU), which she founded in 1975. She is also the President of the Motherhood and Childhood Supreme Council. At the end of the 1990s, she publicly announced that women should be members of the Federal National Council of the Emirates.

In 1997, five different organizations of the United Nations had awarded Sheikha Fatima for her significant efforts for women’s rights. The UNIFEM stated, “she is the champion of women’s rights.” She was also awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of November 7th by the Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on 26 June 2009 for her contributions to raise the status of Arab women. She was also given the UNESCO Marie Curie Medal for her efforts in education, literacy and women…