, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported, without elaborating.
Ahead of her speech, The Atlantic published an article online Monday by Obama, in which she said cultures, as well as funding, needed to be addressed to ensure girls are educated.
“Scholarships, bathrooms and safe transportation will only go so far if societies still view menstruation as shameful and shun menstruating girls,” Obama wrote.
“Or if they fail to punish rapists and reject survivors of rape as ‘damaged goods.'”
From Qatar, Obama will travel to Jordan and visit a school supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development with Queen Rania. She also plans to visit Petra, an ancient city hewn from rose-colored rock that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site.