Kuwait's Sheikha Intisar Salem Al Ali Al Sabah and veteran singer Nawal have won the Arab Woman Award 2017.

During a ceremony held in London Thursday evening by the Arab Women Organization (AWO), an intergovernmental specialized agency affiliated to the League of Arab States, Sheikha Intisar was offered the prize for her non-profiting initiative "Alnowair" for disseminating positive thinking.

The event was attended by Dean of Diplomatic Corps, Kuwait's Ambassador to Britain Khaled Al-Duwaisan and a representative of the London Mayor.

Talking to KUNA, Sheikha Intisar voiced delight for attending the "distinctive" gathering to honor Arab creative women in various fields.

She stressed the integral role of Arab women in serving their communities, saying that in Kuwait, for instance, they represent 80 percent of the output of higher education. She believes this is the case in most world countries.

It is high time, people knew that women are the "active element" in development and the success of any work they get involved in, she added.

Sheikha Intisar commended support to women by the Kuwaiti political leadership, with His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on top.

His Highness the Amir has relatedly directed the government to provide all means for empowering the Kuwaiti women to play their due role in the society, she said.

In a similar statement to KUNA, Nawal, who was honored for her three-decade distinctive musical career, said that "being honored in Britain means a lot for me." She urged Arab women to work seriously and not to yield to any obstacles, saying: "The path to success requires strong determination and will."

Winners included Sudan's Haniya Morsi, community leadership; prominent Lebanese media figure Raghda Dhurgham, press and media; Lebanon's Maha Al-Khalil, culture.

Saudi Princess Luma Al Saud was honored in the charity work category, Bahrain's Sheikha Hind Al Khalifa in trade development, and Egypt's actress Yasmin Sabri in promoting women's status.
Envoy Al-Duwaisan expressed pride for taking part in the honoring of two Kuwaiti women in Britain.

Sheikha Intisar and Nawal have managed through their hard efforts to realize further achievements for Kuwait, he said.