Saudi Arabia is to allow women to drive for the first time.

The ultra-conservative kingdom, which announced the change, was the only the country in the world to bar women from driving and for years had garnered negative world publicity for detaining women who defied the ban.

Women’s rights activists since the 1990s have been pushing for the right to drive, saying it represents their larger struggle for equal rights under the law.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency and state TV reported the news late on Tuesday evening, saying a royal order was issued for both men and women to be issued driving licences.

A committee will be formed to look into how to implement the new order.

The United States welcomed Saudi Arabia’s announcement, with State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert saying the US was “happy” with the move.

Ms Nauert called it “a great step in the right direction for that country” but would not comment on whether Saudi still needed to do more to ensure full rights for its women citizens.

The move comes as Saudi Arabia works to improve its image and the perception of its human rights record in the United States and the West.

Prince Khaled bin Salman, the new Saudi ambassador to Washington, said letting women drive was a “huge step forward” for his country.

He told reporters that it was the right time for Saudi Arabia to do the right thing and said his government viewed women driving as a social issue, not a religious or cultural matter.

The prince said women would not need permission legally from a male guardian to obtain a driving licence, nor a guardian in the vehicle with them.

He said Saudi Arabia would recognise driver’s licences issued to women in other Gulf Co-operation Council countries.