Saudi Arabia has named Manal Hassan Radwan, a diplomat with experience at the United Nations and in Washington, as a special envoy charged with handling negotiations and peace efforts for Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Gazette reported.
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Prince Faisal appointed Radwan as adviser and special envoy to the foreign minister for negotiations and peace efforts, adding a new responsibility to a diplomatic career that has included work on conflict resolution, multilateral affairs, and foreign policy initiatives, according to the publication
Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, hailed the move on X and called it a “proud milestone for women in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” and added it was a “strong step in a strong step in advancing women’s leadership in diplomacy and global affairs.”
Radwan's diplomatic experience
Radwan most recently held the rank of minister plenipotentiary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Radwan is a veteran Saudi diplomat whose career spans more than 25 years, with experience in foreign policy, multilateral diplomacy, and relations with the United States, the United Nations, and the Arab League.
She has served as minister plenipotentiary in the Cabinet of the Foreign Minister since July 2025. Radwan has also been a counselor in the Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs since April 2021 and previously joined the Office of the Minister of State for African Countries in February 2019. She has held the rank of counselor at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs since November 2017.
Before returning to Saudi Arabia, Radwan spent five years at the Saudi Mission to the United Nations, serving as first secretary from 2012 until November 2017.
From 2008 to 2011, she served as second secretary at the Saudi Mission to the Arab League.
Radwan's academic training has centered on political science and human rights law. She earned degrees from George Washington University, George Mason University, and the American University in Cairo.