RIYADH: Women in Saudi Arabia are benefiting from legislation that was introduced to support their empowerment, the deputy speaker of the Kingdom’s Shoura Council told an international gathering on Wednesday. Hamda bint Hassan Al-Ahmadi, a prominent former student of the University of Pittsburgh, was appearing as keynote speaker at a virtual symposium organized by the university under the title Prospects for Global Leadership. She said that the leadership of the Kingdom provides support for Saudi women with attention and care to raise their roles and participation in society and business. The symposium, held under the direction of Professor Anne E. Code, the vice president of the university, reviewed the progress of efforts to empower women in Saudi Arabia, in particular in relation to politics and leadership requirements in the era of globalization. Al-Ahmadi discussed the experiences of women in the Shoura Council following the royal order about a decade ago that granted them the right to participate and set a minimum representation of 20 percent of members. She noted that the roles filled by female members cover all aspects of the council’s work, including membership of specialized committees, participation in friendship committees, the chairing of committees, membership of union committees, and as participants in the legislative process. She also highlighted her appointment as the first woman to hold the position of deputy speaker of the Shoura Council as evidence of a shift in the course of parliamentary work in the Kingdom, and the keenness of the leadership to find new ways to ensure women can contribute to the renaissance and development of the country in keeping with the aims of Saudi Vision 2030. Al-Ahmadi said that the great and continuing work to develop legislation that guarantees women’s rights in Saudi Arabia and provides them with safe work environments has helped to fuel a rapid increase in their participation in workplaces in the public and private sectors. She also pointed out that three quarters of the population of Saudi Arabia are under the age of 35 and so the country’s youth represents more than half of its workforce. Noting their positive effects on the development of society, she said the Saudi youth is a driving force behind Saudi Vision 2030.