my-server
← Wiki

Mohamed Qubaty

Mohamed Abdulmageed Thabet Qubaty (; born 5 January 1958) FRCS, GONOC is a Yemeni politician. As Yemen's Minister of Tourism, he was Chairman of the Yemen Tourism Promotion Board (YTPB), Vice President of the Arab Tourism Organization and Vice President of the UN World Tourism Organization Commission for the Middle East. He also served as Yemen's Minister of Information and Mass Media.

Known for "practicing politics with a scalpel" due to being one of the most successful surgeons in the country as well as an influential orator, he is one of Yemen's most famous political figureheads and led the opposition front during the Arab Spring. He is currently the Chairman of the Southern Civil Democratic Rally (MAGD-SCDR).

He has held previous political positions such as the Senior Political Advisor to four Yemeni Prime Ministers (2007–2011) and the Ambassador of Yemen to Lebanon and Cyprus (2003–2007).

There was a failed attempt to assassinate him on 11 September 2012, which targeted the minister's motorcade, next to the Council of Ministers in Sana'a, Yemen under the guise of a terrorist attack marking the 11th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Dr. Qubaty was injured and the suicide bombing led to the death of eight bodyguards whilst injuring others.

Early life

He is married to Faten Mohamed Kaid Saif, Yemen's first female chartered accountant and the current political advisor to the Yemeni Prime Minister. She is the daughter of General (Vice President of Yemen, Deputy Commander-in-Chief and member of the Yemeni Revolutionary Command Council of 26 September 1962). They have three children: Shady, Alya and Basem.

Ministerial career

At the 47th Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Information, held jointly with Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo on 25 May 2016, Professor Mohamed A. Qubaty, then serving as Yemen's Minister of Information and Mass Media, proposed a resolution to terminate Houthi control over Yemeni media channels and digital domains. The initiative was unanimously adopted by the Arab League, marking a turning point in regional media policy towards Yemen. During the same session, the Council declared Jerusalem (Al-Quds) as the Capital of Arab Media, reaffirming its cultural and political centrality.

On 7 February 2017, H.E. Professor Mohamed A. Qubaty, in his capacity as Yemen's Minister of Tourism, led the launch of the Socotra Open Skies and Development Initiative alongside H.E. President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Governor of Socotra. This landmark project aimed to liberalize international air access to the Socotra Archipelago, promoting sustainable tourism, global engagement, and economic development. The initiative marked the first formal attempt to position Socotra—known for its unparalleled biodiversity and strategic location in the Arabian Sea—as a globally accessible destination. It also reinforced Yemen's sovereign presence on the island at a time of increasing geopolitical contestation in the region.

Education

Medals and prizes

  • Shousha Internarional Prize, 2003. This is the 38th prize of its kind, since the first one in 1966 and the first time a Yemeni wins it.
  • Yemen Times Person of the Year, 1998.
  • Hael Saeed award, 1996.
  • Aden University's Medal, 1995.
  • Medal of Scientific Excellence, Aden, 1984.
  • London University's Prize, 1980.

Positions

  • Yemen's Minister of Tourism and Chairman of the Yemen Tourism Promotion Board (YTPB).
  • Vice President of the Arab Tourism Organization.
  • Vice President of the UN World Tourism Organization Commission for the Middle East.
  • Yemen's Minister of Information and Mass Media, 2015.
  • Member of the National Dialogue Conference, 2013.
  • Senior Political Advisor to the Prime Minister with the rank of Minister, 2008–2011.
  • Chairman of the Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Department of the Ruling GPC Party, Yemen, 2009–2010.
  • Member of the Supreme Media Committee of the Ruling (GPC), Party, 2009–2010.
  • Founding Member, The Southern Civil Democratic Rally, (MAGD-SCDR), 2009.
  • Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Yemen to Lebanon and Cyprus 2003–2007.
  • Political Advisor to the Prime Minister with the rank of Minister, 2001–2003.
  • Vice Chairman of the Supreme Political Committee and Member of the Supreme Media Committee of the Ruling GPC Party, Yemen, 2001–2003.
  • Member of the General Secretariat and Chairman of the Political and Foreign Relations Committee of the Ruling GPC Party, 2000–2003.
  • Advisor to the Presidium of the Yemeni Parliament with the rank of Minister, 1996–2000.
  • Established the National Program for Eradicating Leprosy, 1998.
  • Member of the Permanent Committee and Secretary of the Supreme Political Committee and Member of the General Secretariat of the Ruling GPC Party, Yemen, 1996–2000.
  • Advisor to the Services Committee of the Yemeni Parliament with the rank of Vice Minister, 1990–1996.
  • Founding Member and External Affairs Secretary, the Yemeni British Friendship Association, 1992.
  • Professor, University of Sana'a, 1991.
  • Senior Lecturer, University of London, 1986–1990.
  • Advisor to the Cabinet with the rank of Vice Minister, Aden, Yemen, 1983–1984.
  • Secretary of the Yemeni Diplomats Forum, Aden, Yemen, 1983–1984.
  • President of the UK Union of Arab Students, 1980–1982.
  • Secretary of the Yemen Socialist Party Organizations in Western Europe, 1978–1985.
  • General Secretary of the University of London Students' Union, 1977–1979.

Poetry

In March 2014, he wrote Aden... An Icon of All Time.

Publications

  • Co-author of the book "Yemen and the World", Madbooli Publications, Cairo, 2001.
  • Co-author of the book "Yemen and the Major International Powers", Information and Research Center of Sabaa, Sana'a, 2003.
  • Main speaker at the Oxford University Symposium; the proceedings of which have been published in a book entitled "Citizenship and Democracy in the Arab Countries", Centre for Arab Unity studies, Beirut, 2001.
  • Published and presented more than thirty scientific papers in medical conferences, symposia and journals in the UK, USA and the Arab World.
  • Published and presented more than forty papers in the fields of political science, education, economics, modern and contemporary Yemeni history, covering areas related to democratisation, local government, party and parliamentary institutions, educational reform, the impact of IT, privatisation, Yemeni–European and Yemeni–American relations, etc.

References