As recognition for her efforts in strengthening ties between Saudi Arabia and France, Dr. Hoda Al-Halaissi has been given the “Legion of Honor,” which is considered to be the highest award in the French republic. Currently, over 500 Saudis have received the Legion of Honor since France formed diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia in the 1930s, but Dr. Al-Halaissi made history by becoming the first Saudi woman to receive the award.
“It is an honor for me to be among the prominent names whose efforts have been written in the pages in the history of military and civil merit, and to be mentioned alongside the names of great personalities who left their mark in many fields,” Dr. Al-Halaissi said as she received the award.
Dr. Al-Halaissi is a member of the Saudi Shoura Council, and one of 30 women to be chosen in 2013. She was given the opportunity to serve for four more years in 2016. “The fact that women became part of decision-making gave us a huge sense of duty but what struck me the most is the fact that, contrary to our expectations, the greatest advice and guidance we received during those first years were from our male colleagues,” she said in an article by Arab News.
She has also been a board member of the Alliance Francaise d’Arabie Saoudite since 2011. When she was a child, in fact, she had a fond appreciation for France and its contributions to the world, having learned about the nation through her mother. She also enrolled at Lycee Francais de Londres, in London. In 1990, she began working at King Saud University where she taught the French language before joining the Shoura Council in 2013.
