Dr. Yahya bin Abdullah Al-Samaan has been the assistant speaker of the Saudi Shoura Council since 2015. Previously he was a member of the Shoura Council between 2009 and 2015.  He also served as an assistant professor of international law at the Institute of Diplomatic Studies in Riyadh between 1994 and 2009, and an associate lecturer with the Department of Law at King Saud University, Riyadh, where he taught international law between 1995 and 1997. He was a legal researcher at the Office of the Prime Minister in 1982-84, a member of the editorial board of Diplomacy Magazine, and a certified arbitrator on the list approved by the Ministry of Justice. In addition, he was on secondment to the private sector, between 2001 and 2008, giving legal consultations to many national and foreign companies as well as preparing legal memorandums on trading issues and constructional contracts. He holds a diploma in law from the Institute of Public Administration in Riyadh, and a bachelor’s degree from King Saud University, Riyadh. He also holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in law from the University of Dundee in the UK. Al-Samaan said on Tuesday that the Shoura Council during its latest meeting had asked the Public Education Evaluation Commission to focus on leveraging national expertise and to reduce reliance on foreign expertise. He added that the council also stressed that the commission needs to formulate a vision for the Saudi family in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.