FILE- In this Saturday, March 29, 2014 file photo, a woman drives a car in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a campaign to defy Saudi Arabia's ban on women driving. Saudi Arabia authorities announced Tuesday Sept. 26, 2017, that women will be allowed to drive for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom from next summer, fulfilling a key demand of women's rights activists who faced detention for defying the ban. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali, FILE)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Latest on Saudi Arabia allowing women to drive (all times local):

7:15 a.m.

The secretary-general of the United Nations has welcomed Saudi Arabia's move allowing women to drive in the ultraconservative kingdom beginning next summer.

Antonio Guterres wrote on Twitter early Wednesday: "I welcome Saudi Arabia's decision to lift the ban on women drivers. An important step in the right direction."

The kingdom is the only country in the world that bars women from driving. The change came in a royal order reported by state media late Tuesday that takes effect next June.

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5:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump has commended Saudi Arabia's decision to allow women to drive.

The kingdom is the only country in the world that bars women from driving. The change came in a royal order reported by state media late Tuesday that takes effect next June.

The statement from the White House press secretary's office says Trump viewed the change as "a positive step toward promoting the rights and opportunities of women in Saudi Arabia."

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This entry has been corrected to show the order takes effect next June, not that an effective date was unspecified.

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11:30 p.m.

Prince Khaled bin Salman, the new Saudi ambassador to Washington, says letting women drive is a "huge step forward" for his country.

He tells reporters in Washington that it was the right time for Saudi Arabia to do the right thing. The ambassador says his government views women driving as a social issue, not a religious or cultural issue.

Salman says women won't need permission legally from a male guardian to get a driver's license and won't need a guardian in the vehicle with them to drive. He says Saudi Arabia will recognize driver's licenses issued to women in other Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The ambassador says Saudi Arabia isn't taking the step at the request of the U.S. and that the issue didn't come up during President Donald Trump's recent visit to the kingdom.

But the ambassador isn't commenting on whether Saudi Arabia will take other steps to expand rights for women, such as further relaxing guardian requirements.

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11:15 p.m.

One of Saudi Arabia's most vocal women's rights activists says the decision to allow women to drive is a "great first step."

Aziza Youssef told The Associated Press by phone from Riyadh that she was "really excited" about Tuesday's announcement, calling it a "good step forward for women's rights."

Youssef, a professor at King Saud University, says women will continue to push for an end to male guardianship laws that remain in place, which give male relatives the final say on issues like the right of women to travel abroad, obtain a passport and marry.

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.

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10:35 p.m.

The United States has welcomed Saudi Arabia's announcement that women will be allowed to drive for the first time.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert says the U.S. is "happy" with the move.

Nauert is calling it "a great step in the right direction for that country." But Nauert isn't commenting on whether Saudi Arabia still needs to do more to ensure full rights for its female 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.

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10:30 p.m.

Saudi Arabia says it will allow women to drive for the first time in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

The kingdom, which announced the change on Tuesday, was the only the country in the world to bar women from driving and for years had garnered negative publicity internationally 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 Tuesday evening, saying a royal order was issued for both men and women to be issued drivers' licenses. A committee will be formed to look into how to implement the new order.

News from © The Associated Press, 2017