Claudette Werleigh
Encyclopedia
Claudette Werleigh was Prime Minister
of Haïti
from November 7, 1995 to February 7, 1996. She was Haiti's first female Prime Minister.
She had previously been Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Religion in 1993 and 1995. Before that, she was the executive director of the Haïtian embassy in Washington, D.C.
Until September 2007, she worked at the Life & Peace Institute in Uppsala
, Sweden
, which undertakes research into conflict resolution
and reconciliation. Werleigh is the new Secretary General of Pax Christi International.
She helped found the women’s league for women’s empowerment, which was an organization promoting women to participate in politics. Growing up she never had to worry about money, but watching the other peasants work to sell coffee made her want to help her people. Her life’s work has been bridging the gulf separating different worlds, the poor and the affluent, women and power structures.
Years of teaching and lobbying experience have made her a confident public speaker, and building on her excellent ways of communication. She is also bilingual in French, and Creole. Creole is her fluent language and is also fluent in English and Spanish and has a good understanding of Portuguese. She is inspired by Christian values and spirituality, and has a good understanding of people with other beliefs. Claudette is accustomed to working with an international staff with diverse backgrounds. Pax Christi. 18 November 2006. 20 April 2008
Since 1999 she has been the conflict transformation program’s director of the life and peace institute in Uppsala, Sweden. Claudette's work has taken her all over Latin America and several other countries in Asia, Africa, and to most countries in western Europe. She traveled to areas with a lot of conflict, to go and help them with their problems. In 2007 she was elected secretary general of Pax Christi international, which is a non governmental catholic peace movement working on a global scale on a wide variety of issues in the fields of human rights, security and disbarment, economic justice and ecology. Prior to this she was vice president and a member of the executive committee of Pax international, from 1992 to 2001.
Prime Minister of Haiti
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Haiti is the head of government of Haiti. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President and ratified by the National Assembly. He or she appoints the Ministers and Secretaries of State and goes before the National Assembly to obtain a vote of confidence for...
of Haïti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
from November 7, 1995 to February 7, 1996. She was Haiti's first female Prime Minister.
She had previously been Minister of Foreign Affairs and of Religion in 1993 and 1995. Before that, she was the executive director of the Haïtian embassy in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
Until September 2007, she worked at the Life & Peace Institute 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...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, which undertakes research into conflict resolution
Conflict resolution
Conflict resolution is conceptualized as the methods and processes involved in facilitating the peaceful ending of some social conflict. Often, committed group members attempt to resolve group conflicts by actively communicating information about their conflicting motives or ideologies to the rest...
and reconciliation. Werleigh is the new Secretary General of Pax Christi International.
Biography
Claudette was born in 1946, in Cap-Haitian with a well family. She trained and studied medicine in the United States and Switzerland before returning to Haiti to get her degree in law and economics at the state university in Port-au-Prince. She then moved on to work in a number of non governmental organizations in the fields of adult literacy and humanitarian relief. In 1976 to 1987 she was secretary general of Caritas Haiti, which is an organization founded in 1975 by Haitian bishops conference.She helped found the women’s league for women’s empowerment, which was an organization promoting women to participate in politics. Growing up she never had to worry about money, but watching the other peasants work to sell coffee made her want to help her people. Her life’s work has been bridging the gulf separating different worlds, the poor and the affluent, women and power structures.
Years of teaching and lobbying experience have made her a confident public speaker, and building on her excellent ways of communication. She is also bilingual in French, and Creole. Creole is her fluent language and is also fluent in English and Spanish and has a good understanding of Portuguese. She is inspired by Christian values and spirituality, and has a good understanding of people with other beliefs. Claudette is accustomed to working with an international staff with diverse backgrounds. Pax Christi. 18 November 2006. 20 April 2008
Political career
From 1990 onwards Werleigh became active in public administration and politics in Haiti. From July 1992 to October 1993, she was the executive director of the Washington office on Haiti, and advocacy and lobbying organization. In September 1993 she was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the malval government-in-exile. She then served as Prime Minister in 1995 and 1996.Since 1999 she has been the conflict transformation program’s director of the life and peace institute in Uppsala, Sweden. Claudette's work has taken her all over Latin America and several other countries in Asia, Africa, and to most countries in western Europe. She traveled to areas with a lot of conflict, to go and help them with their problems. In 2007 she was elected secretary general of Pax Christi international, which is a non governmental catholic peace movement working on a global scale on a wide variety of issues in the fields of human rights, security and disbarment, economic justice and ecology. Prior to this she was vice president and a member of the executive committee of Pax international, from 1992 to 2001.