Amat Al-Aleem Alsoswa was Yemen’s first minister for human rights and the first female cabinet member in the country’s history.

She had served previously as Yemen's ambassador to Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands. From 1997 to 1999, she was Under-Secretary at Yemen's Ministry of Information. In December 2005, Alsoswa was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme and Director of its Regional Bureau for Arab States. In this role she leads 500 UNDP staff covering the 17 country offices in the Arab region, with the eighteenth office located in the Palestinian territories. For her commitment to democracy and women’s political leadership, NDI was proud to present the 2004 W. Averell Harriman Award to Amat Al-Aleem Alsoswa.