Egyptian Ambassador Naela Gabr was elected on Thursday to be a member of the UN's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Egyptian foreign ministry said in a statement.

The veteran diplomat received 143 votes at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Thursday.

"Gabr's election comes as a result of Egypt's efforts on the issue of women's empowerment," said foreign ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid.

The spokesman added that the election also comes as an affirmation of Gabr's influential role at the UN.

Gabr served as first secretary counselor at the Egyptian embassy in Paris from 1980-1984. She also served as counselor in the Egyptian mission at the United Nations in Geneve from 1988-1992.

Gabr holds a masters degree in French Literature from the University of Brno in the Czeck Republic.

She is a graduate of the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University.

Ambassador Gabr has been elected several times to be a member of CEDAW over the past 10 years, and has served as chairperson of the organisation from 2009 till 2011. She was also elected to serve as vice chairman of the committee from 2015 till 2017.

Gabr currently heads Egypt's National Coordinating Committee for combating and preventing illegal migration and human trafficking.