Anna Tibaijuka
Encyclopedia
Dr. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka (b.1950) is a former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations
and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
(UN-HABITAT). Until her resignation in 2010 to run for political office in Tanzania, she was the second highest ranking African woman in the UN System.
, Tibaijuka studied Agricultural Economics
at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
in Uppsala
and is fluent in English
, Swahili
, Swedish
and French
. She is the widow
of the former Tanzanian ambassador
Wilson Tibaijuka who died in 2000.
She is the second highest ranking African woman in the UN after Dr Asha Rose Migiro, the Deputy UN Secretary General (Who is also a Tanzanian)
In October 2010 she became MP for CCM for Muleba District, Kagera Region, in the national election.
. During this period she was also a member of the Tanzanian Government delegation to several United Nations Summits including the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996); the World Food Summit (Rome 1996); the Fourth World Conference on Women
(Beijing 1995) and the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). At the World Food Summit in Rome, she was elected Coordinator for Eastern Africa in the Network for Food Security, Trade and Sustainable Development (COASAD). Mrs. Tibaijuka has also been a Board Member of UNESCO
's International Scientific Advisory Board since November 1997.
(UNCTAD), having responsibility for strengthening the capacity of LDCs in trade negotiations with the World Trade Organization
.
Kofi Annan
as Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. During her first two years in office, Mrs. Tibaijuka oversaw major reforms which resulted in the United Nations General Assembly
upgrading the Centre to programme status and renaming it the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). Tibaijuka was elected by the General Assembly to her first four-year term as head of the new agency in July 2002 and was given the rank of Under-Secretary-General, the first—and only—African woman to reach this level within the UN System.
) to evict informal traders and people deemed to be squatting illegally in certain areas. As the evictions were concentrated on areas which had traditionally strongly supported the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change, many commentators believed the campaign was politically motivated. Although this was denied by the Zimbabwean Government, there was strong international criticism.
Tibaijuka concluded her report saying that “while purporting to target illegal dwellings and structures and to clamp down on alleged illicit activities, [the operation] was carried out in an indiscriminate and unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering”.http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/ZimbabweReport.pdf
elected Anna Tibaijuka as its new Chair on 19 october 2010. Tibaijuka will succeed Roberto Lenton, whose second and final term of office ended in March 2011.
invited Tibaijuka, to be a member of the Commission for Africa
, which he established to generate ideas and action to accelerate and sustain Africa's growth and development. The Commission, comprising 16 internationally known figures, completed its report in March 2005.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
United Nations Human Settlements Programme
The United Nations Human Settlements Programme is the United Nations agency for human settlements. It was established in 1978 and has its headquarters at the United Nations Office at Nairobi, Kenya...
(UN-HABITAT). Until her resignation in 2010 to run for political office in Tanzania, she was the second highest ranking African woman in the UN System.
Early life and education
Born in TanzaniaTanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
, Tibaijuka studied Agricultural Economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences or Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet is a university in Sweden. Although its head office is located in Ultuna, Uppsala, the university has several campuses in different parts of Sweden, the other main facilities being Alnarp in Lomma Municipality, Skara,...
in Uppsala
Uppsala
- Economy :Today Uppsala is well established in medical research and recognized for its leading position in biotechnology.*Abbott Medical Optics *GE Healthcare*Pfizer *Phadia, an offshoot of Pharmacia*Fresenius*Q-Med...
and is fluent in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
, Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. She is the widow
Widow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
of the former Tanzanian ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
Wilson Tibaijuka who died in 2000.
She is the second highest ranking African woman in the UN after Dr Asha Rose Migiro, the Deputy UN Secretary General (Who is also a Tanzanian)
In October 2010 she became MP for CCM for Muleba District, Kagera Region, in the national election.
Academic career
From 1993 to 1998 Tibaijuka was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Dar es SalaamUniversity of Dar es Salaam
The University of Dar es Salaam is a university in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam. The university was born out of a decision taken in 1970 to split the then University of East Africa into three independent universities; Makerere University , University of Nairobi and University of Dar es...
. During this period she was also a member of the Tanzanian Government delegation to several United Nations Summits including the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996); the World Food Summit (Rome 1996); the Fourth World Conference on Women
Fourth World Conference on Women
The United Nations convened the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace on 4-15 September 1995 in Beijing, China. 189 governments and more than 5,000 representatives from 2,100 non-governmental organizations participated in the Conference...
(Beijing 1995) and the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). At the World Food Summit in Rome, she was elected Coordinator for Eastern Africa in the Network for Food Security, Trade and Sustainable Development (COASAD). Mrs. Tibaijuka has also been a Board Member of UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's International Scientific Advisory Board since November 1997.
Special Co-ordinator
In 1998 Tibaijuka was appointed Special Coordinator for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked and Small Island Developing Countries at the United Nations Conference on Trade and DevelopmentUnited Nations Conference on Trade and Development
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development was established in 1964 as a permanent intergovernmental body. It is the principal organ of the United Nations General Assembly dealing with trade, investment, and development issues....
(UNCTAD), having responsibility for strengthening the capacity of LDCs in trade negotiations with the World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
.
Executive Director of UN-HABITAT
In September 2000 she was appointed by Secretary-GeneralSecretary-General
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
as Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. During her first two years in office, Mrs. Tibaijuka oversaw major reforms which resulted in the United Nations General Assembly
United Nations General Assembly
For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
upgrading the Centre to programme status and renaming it the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). Tibaijuka was elected by the General Assembly to her first four-year term as head of the new agency in July 2002 and was given the rank of Under-Secretary-General, the first—and only—African woman to reach this level within the UN System.
Special Envoy of the Secretary General
In June 2005, the Secretary General appointed Tibaijuka as his Special Envoy to study the impact of the Zimbabwean Government's campaign (known as Operation MurambatsvinaOperation Murambatsvina
Operation Murambatsvina , also officially known as Operation Restore Order, is a large-scale Zimbabwean government campaign to forcibly clear slum areas across the country...
) to evict informal traders and people deemed to be squatting illegally in certain areas. As the evictions were concentrated on areas which had traditionally strongly supported the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change, many commentators believed the campaign was politically motivated. Although this was denied by the Zimbabwean Government, there was strong international criticism.
Tibaijuka concluded her report saying that “while purporting to target illegal dwellings and structures and to clamp down on alleged illicit activities, [the operation] was carried out in an indiscriminate and unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering”.http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/ZimbabweReport.pdf
Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
The Steering Committee of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative CouncilWater Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council
The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council is an international organization whose secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland is hosted by the United Nations Office for Project Services...
elected Anna Tibaijuka as its new Chair on 19 october 2010. Tibaijuka will succeed Roberto Lenton, whose second and final term of office ended in March 2011.
Blair Commission / Commission on Africa
In 2004 the British Prime Minister Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
invited Tibaijuka, to be a member of the Commission for Africa
Commission for Africa
The Commission for Africa, also known as the Blair Commission for Africa, was an initiative established by the British government to examine and provide impetus for development in Africa. Initiated in Spring 2004, its objectives include the generation of new ideas for development and to deliver...
, which he established to generate ideas and action to accelerate and sustain Africa's growth and development. The Commission, comprising 16 internationally known figures, completed its report in March 2005.