In another gesture of the Kingdom’s efforts to empower Saudi women, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, has approved the nomination of Dr. Samia Al-Amoudi as a member of the board of directors at the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), based in Geneva, Switzerland. The approval comes four months after Al-Amoudi, was announced as the first GCC women to win a prestigious seat in the UICC, at a conference held in Montreal, Canada. Currently Al-Amoudi serves as an associate professor at King Abdul-Aziz University (KAAU) and CEO of Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi Center for Excellence in Breast Cancer. She is also a breast cancer survivor herself.   “This approval confirms the confidence and trust King Abdullah has bestowed upon our university and also our great confidence in the ability of Dr. Al-Amoudi to represent us in the best way in the Union for International Cancer Control,” Osama bin Sadiq Tayeb, president of King Abdul-Aziz University said. Al-Amoudi is one of the 14 newly elected members of the UICC board of directors, chosen from various countries such as the US, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, India, Jordan, France, Norway and Japan. All members will serve a two-year term beginning this year. Commenting on the king’s approval and winning the prestigious seat, Al Amoudi said, “I want to thank King Abdullah for his approval and for giving me the ability to show the world the great advancement of Saudi and GCC women and the progress we have made. In addition, this is a true testament to the support and massive steps taken by government authorities and universities in assisting women in achieving high positions in the local and international community.” She further added that being a board member of the UICC would help her greatly in her efforts of spreading cancer awareness in the Kingdom and the world. “I plan to take this chance to collaborate with other professors and international organizations to exchange knowledge and gain experience in areas of advocacy and awareness, to contribute toward combating cancer in the GCC region,” she explained. “Al-Amoudi’s win is a major breakthrough for Arab women and proof of the significant development of women in the GCC societies,” stated Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, secretary-general of the Gulf Federation for Cancer Control in a telephone interview. He concluded by saying that Saudi Arabia currently has 700 specialized cancer-related associations and that the seat would enable Al-Amoudi to acquire expert opinions as well as the latest research from the cancer community and take them to the global stage of the UICC, gaining official recognition from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSCO). From Arabnews