Lyutha Al-Mughairy is the rare, if not unique case of a woman from the Gulf region who has been unafraid to blaze new trails and to do so in a non-combative, but persistent fashion. From early on, circumstances required her to accept new challenges and overcome them. Transported at a tender age to Cairo she had to overcome the difficulties of adapting to a new society and culture and competing for advancement in a different educational environment.

She was admitted to the prestigious American University of Cairo and awarded a full scholarship. During the entire period of her undergraduate university life, she also worked as an announcer, programme producer and translator at Radio Cairo. Lyutha went on to undertake postgraduate studies at the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University, UK, and in Journalism at Columbia University, USA.

Upon graduation, Lyutha was offered a Fulbright Scholarship. At the same time, she was invited to start the English Radio and Television in Abu Dhabi, and she opted to pursue that challenge. In Abu Dhabi, she hosted her own television programme which was very popular all over the Gulf region. During her residence in Abu Dhabi, she also helped launch the first Women’s Society of that country. She remained there until 1975.

Lyutha left the UAE and was invited back home to Oman to establish and run the English Radio and Television Services in Oman, a task that she undertook with enthusiasm, drawing on the experience she accumulated in Cairo and Abu Dhabi. During that time, she spent one summer working for the BBC in London and another summer participating in a programme in the United States with the American Women in Radio and TV, which took her to various television networks around the country.

At the end of 1979, Lyutha accepted the invitation of the United Nations to serve as Information Officer for the International Year of Disabled Persons. This was the first time that the situation of people with disabilities was to receive focused international attention. In that capacity, she initiated and conducted a wide range of activities, including promotional campaigns, mobilized national and international NGOs, organised and participated in seminars and conferences. Her work carried her beyond the public information aspects of the issue of disability for she set out to secure funds for a range of projects for the disabled. In one year, she raised funds to the tune of $1.3 million, for a variety of projects that she initiated in countries where they were needed.

Lyutha continued her UN career as Chief of the News Distribution Section of the newly-created Office for the Research and Collection of Information. This was the first attempt by the Organisation to set up a research and analysis arm within the Secretariat to keep abreast of trends and development worldwide. Her next career move was to the Electoral Assistance Division. This was another newly created outfit whose function was to respond to the interest of all Member States, in the post cold-war era in moving towards free and democratic electoral systems.

But Lyutha did not forget Oman and the Arab culture of which she is so proud. Keen to see a greater appreciation and understanding of that culture and language, she proposed to His Majesty that a special endowment be provided to guarantee the teaching of Arabic at the United Nations International School in New York. She raised funds and in 2001, the school was set up with the endowment. As a result, students of various nationalities are now studying Arabic free of charge.

Lyutha has recently taken on another new challenge, perhaps the most demanding that she has encountered so far. In 2002, she accepted the position of Chief of the Information Centres Service, comprising the far-flung network of UN Information Offices around the world.

In addition, Lyutha has served in different capacities in the United Nations Secretariat defending the rights of the staff as a member and chairperson of the Joint Appeals Board, member and vice-chair of various Appointment and Promotion Bodies, as well as the observer on the Board of the United Nations International School.

In November 2003, Lyutha was awarded a Distinguished Alumni Award by the American University in Cairo for her accomplishments in public government and UN work.