Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, on Tuesday was pleased that three of the six Permanent Representatives of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are women. Ambassador Alya Ahmad Saif Al-Thani was appointed Qatar\'s Permanent Representative to the UN last week, Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, of Palestinian origin, was appointed the Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN last month, and Ambassador Lyutha Sultan Al-Mughairy was appointed the Permanent Representative of Oman to the UN in 2011. Kuwait was the first GCC country to appoint a woman to the post when it appointed Ambassador Nabeela Al-Mulla as the country\'s Permanent Representative to the UN from 2004-06. \"UN Women strongly advocates for women\'s leadership and participation, and we are delighted to see a growing number of women in leadership positions, including as Permanent Representatives to the UN for Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) countries,\" Mlambo-Ngcuka told KUNA in a reaction. \"Women\'s full and equal participation in public office, in politics and in economics is fundamental to democracy and justice. Equal rights underpin healthy economies, create long-term sustainability, and pave a path towards equality,\" she said. \"It is particularly pleasing that the women who have been appointed are highly qualified for these leadership positions. I commend Oman, United Arab Emirates and Qatar for prioritizing women in decision-making positions through these appointments, and I hope many more countries will take similar steps in the region, and globally,\" she added. UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established in 2010 to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide.