He occupied the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Francophony from 25 March to 20 October 1994 and served as Minister of State reporting to the Minister of Finance, Ec
Trang 1UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL’S HIGH-LEVEL RETREAT WITH
HEADS OF REGIONAL AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS
11 and 12 January 2010, Greentree Estate, Long Island
“Cooperation in Times of Crisis”
Bios of the Representatives of the Regional Organizations attending
Trang 2Dr Jean Ping, Chairperson
African Union Commission, (AU)
Mr Jean Ping is currently the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, he was born on November 1942 in Omboué, (Etimbwé), Gabon
Mr Ping holds a Ph.D in Economic Sciences from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne He holds two honorary doctorates from the Institute
of Diplomacy in China and from the Institute of African Studies and Academy of Sciences in Moscow He also holds an MPhil and a B.Sc, Economic Sciences from the University of Paris
From 1972 Mr Ping worked at UNESCO in Paris as an international civil servant in the Department of External Relations From 1978 to 1984, he was Permanent Representative of Gabon to UNESCO His diplomatic and political experience earned him the appointment by the Head of State, to the post of Director of the civilian staff, a post he occupied from 1984- 1990 From 26 February to 29 April 1990 Mr Ping served as Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Tourism and Leisure, Reform of the Semi- Public Sector, Responsible for relations with the parliament and spokesperson for the government Mr Ping served as Minister
of Mines, Energy and Water Resources in 1992 and 1994 He occupied the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Francophony from 25 March to 20 October 1994 and served as Minister of State reporting to the Minister of Finance, Economy, Budget and Privatization, positions that he occupied from 30 October 1994 to 25 January 1997
Mr Ping was also Minister of Planning, Environment and Tourism, duties he discharged from 27 January 1997 to 25 January 1999, when he was appointed Senior Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Francophony of the Gabonese Republic From 2007 till his appointment
as AUC Chairperson, Mr Ping was Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Francophony and Regional Integration
He has led the Gabonese delegations to many African and international forums especially those
of UNESCO, OAU, AU, Non Aligned Movement, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries He discharged of highly important duties as Head of Delegation to the Summits of the Central African Customs and Economic Union, the Economic and Monetary Community of Central African States, and to NEPAD He was the President of the 59th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
Trang 3Mr Edwin W Carrington, Secretary-General
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Edwin Wilberforce Carrington, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, is the current
Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community and of the Caribbean Forum of
ACP States - CARIFORUM He has held that position since August 1992, making
him the longest serving Secretary-General of the Caribbean Community
His distinguished career in Diplomacy, Development and Regionalism saw him
serve as Deputy Secretary-General (1976-1985), and immediately thereafter,
1985-1990, as Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of
States (ACP) – the only Caribbean national to have held that position to date In
acknowledgement of his outstanding service, Carrington Hall at the ACP
Secretariat (Brussels) is named in his honour
On returning from Brussels in 1991, Carrington served as his country’s High Commissioner to Guyana before assuming the role of Secretary-General of CARICOM in 1992
Secretary-General Carrington, an Economist, is the holder of the Trinity Cross, his country’s highest honour, as well as the Chaconia Medal (Gold), Trinidad and Tobago’s second highest honour
He has also been honoured by other Caribbean States, being the recipient of the Companion of Honour of Barbados (CHB); the Order of Distinction of Belize; the Duarte, Sanchez Y Mella, Gran Cruz De Plata decoration of the Dominican Republic; the Cacique Crown of Honour (CCH) of Guyana and the Order of Jamaica
Recognition of Mr Carrington’s contribution to the Caribbean was expressed by the Caribbean Diaspora, through the conferring in 2001 of the Pinnacle Award by the National Coalition of Caribbean Affairs United States Secretary of State Colin Powell was similarly honoured at that time He is also the recipient of awards from Italy and the International Third World Leadership Association
Secretary-General Carrington is the holder of Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Economics, from the Universities of the West Indies and McGill University in Canada He was also conferred with the degree of Honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of the West Indies and the City University of New York – CUNY (Medgar Evers College)
Trang 4Mr João Vale de Almeida, Director-General for External Relations
European Commission (EC)
Mr Vale de Almeida as the Director-General for External Relations of the European Commission will be responsible for overall management
of the External Relations DG He will lead the DG in its work of formulating an effective external relations policy for the European Union, maintaining relations with international organizations, and managing the European Neighbourhood Policy, including through its network of more than 120 delegations abroad
Mr Vale de Almeida, a 52-year-old Portuguese Commission senior official, is since November 2004 the head of President José Manuel Barroso's cabinet He is also President Barroso's permanent personal representative (or "sherpa") to the G8 and to the G20 Prior to the Barroso Commission taking office, he was in charge of Mr Barroso's transition team since August 2004 During the mandate of this Commission, Mr Vale de Almeida also chaired the Steering Committee of the Group of External Relations Commissioners
João Vale de Almeida started working at the European Commission in 1982 at the representation in Lisbon and became a member of the Spokesperson's Service in Brussels in
1989, under the authority of President Jacques Delors, as spokesman for inter alia energy policy and for external relations with the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Latin America and Asia From 1992 to 1994 he was head of unit at the Economic and Social Committee of the European Communities Between 1995 and 1997 he was Deputy Chief Spokesman of the Commission, under the authority of President Jacques Santer, in charge of coordinating official positions on the EU's external relations, among other issues
In 1998, he was appointed director in the Directorate General for Information, Communication, Culture and Audiovisual In this capacity, he was in charge of Commission representations in the Member States and information towards non-EU countries From May 2000 to July 2004, Mr Vale de Almeida was a director in the Directorate-General for Education and Culture He has held several horizontal responsibilities inside the Commission services
João Vale de Almeida has a degree in history from the University of Lisbon, and followed journalism training in France, the USA and Japan He has also attended management schools in the UK and France
The present Director General of the Directorate-General for External Relations, Mr Eneko Landaburu, will take up his new duties in the coming months
The exact date at which Mr Vale de Almeida will take up his new duties will be fixed at a later stage
Trang 5Mr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, President
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Dr Chambas was elected Executive Secretary of ECOWAS at the 25th session
of the Authority of Heads of State and Government in Dakar on 21 December
2001 He assumed office at the ECOWAS Executive Secretariat Abuja, Nigeria,
on 1 February 2002
As Chief Executive Officer of the 15 member West African regional
organisation, Dr Chambas has successfully positioned ECOWAS as a model
regional organisation in Africa due to its accomplishments in the resolution of
the conflicts in Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo He has forged
relations and developments partners such as the United Nations, the
European Union, The World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, the African Development Bank Also, the relationship between ECOWAS and the African Union (AU) Commission has never been stronger Prior to his election, Dr Chambas was a Member of Parliament of Ghana
Dr Chambas first entered Government in 1987 as Deputy Foreign Minister of Ghana As Deputy Foreign Minister, he was a member of the Head of State’s summit delegations to a number of countries such as the United States of America, China, United Kingdom, France, Malaysia, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, etc He also led Ghana's delegation to several countries and conferences including the United Nations General Assembly, the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African Sates (ECOWAS), the Movement of the Non-Aligned Countries (NAM), the Commonwealth, etc
Between 1991 and 1996, he was centrally involved in the ECOWAS mediation efforts in Liberia and directly participated in the negotiations leading to the agreements ending the Liberian civil war He was also a member of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which worked to facilitate a transition to constitutional democratic governance in Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia
Dr Chambas, who was born on 7 December 1950, holds degrees in Political Science from the University of Ghana, Legon (B A 1973) and Cornell University, Ithaca New York (M A 1977; PhD 1980) and a law degree from Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, Ohio (J D 1984)
He has been admitted to practice law in Ghana and the State of Ohio His working experience in the United States includes teaching at Oberlin College, and practicing law with The Greater Cleveland Legal Aid Society and the Cleveland, Ohio, Law Office of Forbes, Forbes and Teamor
Dr Chambas served a four-year term (1997-2001) on the Cornell University Council, and re-elected for another four year term from 2003-2007
Trang 6Mr (Eng.) Mahboub M Maalim, Executive-Secretary
Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD)
Eng Maalim was born in 1958 and is currently IGAD Executive Secretary Eng Mahboub Maalim who takes over from Dr Attalla Hamad Bashir whose term has expired It was the first time that a Kenyan held the position
Eng Mahboub Maalim is the immediate former Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Water and Irrigation and has also previously served as the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Special Programmes in the Office of the President since July 2004 to August 2005 during which time he ably coordinated disaster risk reduction programmes, Arid and Semi Arid Lands Projects among others He is recognized for his dedicated service He is awarded the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) for his distinguished and dedicated service
Eng Maalim was competitively selected and endorsed by IGAD Council of Ministers as in-coming Executive Secretary of IGAD based in Djibouti early in 2008 He said IGAD has been seized with conflict and disaster management in the Horn of Africa and has been helpful in development activities and resolving the conflict in Southern Sudan and Somalia
Trang 7Mr Amre M Moussa, Secretary-General
League of Arab States (LAS)
Mr Moussa graduated from Cairo University, LL.B Faculty of Law He then was
a lawyer from 1957-1958 In 1958 he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Egypt From 1985 to 1972 Mr Moussa worked in several departments &
Egyptian missions including Egypt’s U.N mission
Mr Moussa was Assistant and Advisor to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the
Arab Republic of Egypt from 1974 to 1977 From 1981 to 1983 then
Ambassador to India for three years Mr Moussa was appointed Director of the
Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt
until 1990 and then Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to
the United Nations, New York
Mr Moussa was the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Egypt from 1991 to 2001, Since 2001 he is the Secretary General of the League of Arab States In 2003 he became a member of the United Nations High -Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change
* He was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Nile, Egypt, May 2001
* Order of the Two Niles, first class, Sudan 2001
* He was awarded high Decorations from the following States:
Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina and Germany
The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs - produced by former US diplomats - described him as "no ordinary Egyptian Government official" It notes that he has frequently been cited as the civilian figure Egyptians would elect as president if they had a real choice Time magazine described the 65-year-old as "perhaps the most adored public servant in the Arab world"
Mr Moussa's immense popularity stems from his sharp criticism of US support for Israel and Israel's treatment of Palestinians during his 10-year tenure as Egypt's foreign minister He aired his opinions during speeches, interviews - and rows with foreign envoys
His appointment to the top position in the Arab League was unanimously endorsed by all member states Mr Moussa's supporters included both Iraq and Kuwait, who have had a hostile relationship ever since the Gulf War
Mr Moussa says he is determined to streamline the League and turn it into a powerful voice of unified Arab opinion He hopes to eliminate lifetime bureaucrats and revitalise the 800-strong staff Mr Moussa says his goals include improving Arab economies and promoting solidarity with Arab-Americans But the Palestinian issue remains at the top of his agenda
Trang 8Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary-General
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Anders Fogh Rasmussen took office as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 12th Secretary General on 1 August 2009
Anders Fogh Rasmussen was born in Ginnerup, Jutland, on 26 January 1953 After passing the baccalaureate at Viborg Katedralskole in 1972, he studied economics at the University of Aarhus, graduating (MSc Econ) in 1978 The same year he became member of the Danish Parliament representing the Liberal Party
Mr Rasmussen held numerous positions in government and opposition throughout his political career From 1987 to 1992 he was Minister for Taxation and from 1990 to 1992 also Minister for Economic Affairs in the Conservative-Liberal coalition Government As Minister for Economic Affairs and member of the EU’s ECOFIN-council 1990-92, Mr Rasmussen was the Danish negotiator of and signatory to the Maastricht Treaty which eventually led to the introduction of the single currency, the euro
From 1992 to 1998 he was spokesman for the Liberal Party and from 1993 to 1998 in addition vice-chairman of the Parliament’s Economic and Political Affairs Committee In 1998 he became chairman of the Liberal Party’s national organization and vice-chairman of the Parliament’s Foreign Policy Board
After the parliamentary elections in 2001 he formed his first government, a coalition consisting
of the Liberal Party and the Conservative People’s Party His government was re-elected in 2005 and 2007 respectively, and he held the position as Prime Minister until he was elected as future NATO Secretary General at the Strasbourg-Kehl Summit in April 2009
During the Danish Presidency of the European Union from July to December 2002 Mr Rasmussen played a key role in the process leading to conclusion of the accession negotiations with 10 candidates for EU-membership at the meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen
in December 2002
Mr Rasmussen is married to Anne-Mette Rasmussen They have three children In his spare time, he is a passionate runner, and he also enjoys cycling and kayaking
Mr Jose Miguel Inzulza, Secretary-General
Trang 9Organization of American States (OAS)
José Miguel Insulza was elected OAS Secretary General on May 2, 2005, and took office on May 26 of that year The Chilean politician has an accomplished record of public service in his country At the beginning of his five-year term as Secretary General, he pledged to strengthen the Organization’s “political relevance and its capacity for action.”
A lawyer by profession, he has a law degree from the University of Chile, did postgraduate studies at the Latin American Social Sciences Faculty (FLACSO), and has a master’s in political science from the University of Michigan Until 1973, he was Professor of Political Theory
at the University of Chile and of Political Science at Chile’s Catholic University He also served, until that year, as Political Advisor to the Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Chile
He became involved in politics during his student years and served as Vice President of the Chilean Students Association, President of the Center for Law Students of the University of Chile, and President of the Union of University Federations of Chile
In the early 1970s, Insulza played an active role in Salvador Allende’s Popular Unity
government and, following the coup that brought General Augusto Pinochet into power, he went into exile for 15 years, first in Rome (1974-1980) and after that in Mexico (1981-1988)
In Mexico City, he was a researcher and then Director of the United States Studies Institute in the Center for Economic Research and Teaching He also taught at Mexico's National
Autonomous University, the Ibero-American University, and the Diplomatic Studies Institute Insulza was able to return to Chile in early 1988 and joined the Coalition of Parties for
Democracy, the coalition that won the plebiscite against the Pinochet regime in October of that year and that has been victorious in all democratic elections in the country since 1990 A member of the Socialist Party, he has held a large number of high-level posts in the Coalition governments Under the presidency of Patricio Aylwin, Insulza served as Chilean Ambassador for International Cooperation, Director of Multilateral Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Vice President of the International Cooperation Agency
In March 1994, under the administration of President Eduardo Frei, Insulza became Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs and in September of that year was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs In 1999, he became Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, and the following year he became President Ricardo Lagos’s Minister of the Interior and Vice President of the Republic When he left that post in May 2005, he had served as a government minister for more than a decade, the longest continuous tenure for a minister in Chilean history
Born on June 2, 1943, Insulza is married to Georgina Núñez Reyes and has three children: Francisca, Javier and Daniel
Dr Ekmeleddin Ihsanoğlu, Secretary-General
Trang 10Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)
Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu of Turkey is the first by-vote-elected
Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ever
since he took the office as the ninth Secretary General in January 2005, he
has taken serious steps to make the 57 member states organization as an
effective organization
Since his association with the OIC from 1980 as founding Director General
of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Culture and Arts (IRCICA) in
Istanbul, Prof Dr Ihsanoglu has pioneered activities towards creating
awareness about Islamic culture across the world through research,
publishing, and organizing congresses in various fields, including history of
arts and sciences, and intercultural relations Furthermore, he has initiated
and supervised programs for the protection and promotion of the written and the architectural heritage of Islamic civilization in various countries He has also contributed to scholarly debates
on intercultural dialogues With his institutional and personal initiatives, he has earned recognition at intellectual circles as a leading contributor to rapprochement between cultures, particularly between the Muslim and Western worlds
Prof Dr Ihsanoglu was born in Cairo, Egypt in 1943 He received his B.S at Ain Shams University
in 1966 and master’s degree in chemistry in 1970 After completing his Ph.D studies at Ankara University, Turkey in 1974, he did his post-doctoral research from 1975 to 1977 as a research fellow at University of Exeter, the United Kingdom
He served as a faculty member in faculties of science and then became the first professor and founding Head of the Department of History of Science of Istanbul University He is also the founding Chairman of Turkish Society for History of Science (TBTK) and ISAR Foundation He further served as the President of International Union of History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS) between 2001 and 2005 He is member of various international societies; scientific councils, advisory boards of numerous academies, centers and institutes, and editorial boards
of many journals in a number of Islamic and western countries
He wrote numerous books, articles and papers in Turkish, English and Arabic on science, history
of science, Islamic culture, Turkish culture, relations between the Muslim world and the Western world, and Turkish-Arab relations, some of which were translated to several eastern and western languages He was conferred with medals by kings and presidents as well as with honorary doctorates by a number of universities around the world
Mr Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, Secretary-General