Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned is the second of the three wives of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar. She married the Emir (at the time Crown Prince) in 1977 at the age of 18, while she was attending Qatar University. She has seven children, five sons and two daughters.
She graduated from Qatar University in 1986 with a BA in Sociology and holds several posts in Qatar and internationally:
Her Highness currently serves as UNESCO’s Special Envoy for Basic and Higher Education. In this role, she promotes literacy in the Arab world and Asia.
Her Highness is also a member of the High Level Group of the UN Alliance of Civilizations which was established to assess the forces that contribute to extremism and recommend collective action to counter those forces.
Her Highness is the first Arab and the first woman to be awarded the Prize of the Royal Institute for International Affairs from Chatham House, a world renowned British think tank that focuses on contemporary global affairs
At Her Highness’ initiative, some of the organizations established to help families include the following:
Shafallah Center for Children with Special Needs
Al Noor Institute for the Blind
Qatar Establishment for Orphan Care
Qatar Establishment for the Care of the Elderly
Qatar Establishment for the Protection of Women and Children
Maternity and Childhood Cultural Center
Center for Marriage Counseling
Youth Rehabilitation Center
Unlike many other monarchical wives in the Middle East, Sheikha Mozah has been a high-profile figure in her nation’s politics and society, actively involved in Qatar’s government. She was a driving force behind Education City and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel. Additionally, she has been named as one of Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women at #79.
Sheikha Moza has been honored with honorary doctorates from Virginia Commonwealth University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Imperial College London, andGeorgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service.
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