Salim Ahmed Salim

Dr. h.c. Salim Ahmed Salim
6th Secretary-general of the Organization of African Unity
In office 19 September 1989 – 17 September 2001
Preceded by	Ide Oumarou
Succeeded by	Amara Essy
5th Prime Minister of Tanzania
In office 24 April 1984 – 5 November 1985
President	Julius Nyerere
Preceded by	Edward Moringe Sokoine
Succeeded by	Joseph Sinde Warioba
Personal details
Born	23 January 1942 (1942-01-23) Zanzibar
Nationality	Tanzanian
Political party	Chama cha Mapinduzi
Spouse(s)	Amne
Children	Maryam, Ali and Ahmed
Alma mater	School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, New York City
Occupation	Diplomat
Profession	Diplomat

Salim Ahmed Salim (born 23 January 1942, Zanzibar, present-day Tanzania) a Tanzanian diplomat who has worked in the international diplomatic arena since the early 1960s. Salim is married to Amne and they have three children: Maryam, Ali and Ahmed.

Education

He was educated at Lumumba College in Zanzibar and later pursued his undergraduate studies at the St. Stephen's College of the University of Delhi and obtained his Masters degree in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University in New York. He became a student activist in the early 1960s and was founder and first Vice President of the All-Zanzibar Student union. He holds six honorary doctorates including: Doctor of Laws, the University of the Philippines at Los Baños (1980), Doctor of Humanities, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria (1983), Doctor of Civil Law, University of Mauritius (1991), Doctor of Arts in International Affairs, University of Khartoum, Sudan (1995), Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations, University of Bologna, Italy (1996), and Doctor of Laws, University of Cape Town, South Africa (1998).

Positions held in Tanzania

• Chief Editor of a Zanzibar daily paper, Secretary General of the All-Zanzibar Journalists Organisation 1963–1964
• Minister for Foreign Affairs 1980–1984
• Prime Minister of Tanzania 1984–1985
• Deputy Prime Minister of Tanzania 1986–1989
• Minister for Defence and National Service 1986–1989
• President of the Julius K. Nyerere Foundation 2001 – current

Diplomatic positions held

• Deputy Chief Representative of the Zanzibar Office based in Havana, Cuba 1961–1962
• Tanzania Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt 1964–1965
• Tanzanian High Commissioner (i.e. Ambassador) to India 1965–1968
• Tanzania Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China 1969–1970
• Tanzania Ambassador to the United Nations 1970–1980
• Tanzania Ambassador to Cuba 1970–1980 (served while at the UN)
• Tanzanian High Commissioner to Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago 1970–1980 (served while at the UN)
• Secretary-General of the OAU 1989–2001
• African Union Special Envoy on the Darfur Conflict 2004–2008

Positions at the United Nations

• June/July 1972: Chairman of the United Nations Special Mission to Niue
• August 1972: Drafting Committee of the Political Committee of the Ministerial Conference of non-Aligned States, Georgetown, Guyana
• April 1973: Chairman of the Political Committee of International Conference of Experts in Support of the Victims of Colonialism and Apartheid in Southern Africa, Oslo
• 1975: Chairman of the Security Council's Committee on Sanctions against Southern Rhodesia
• 1976: President of the United Nations Security Council
• 1979: President of the United Nations General Assembly for the Thirty-fourth, Sixth emergency special, Seventh emergency special, and Eleventh special sessions.

Other diplomatic positions

At the continental level, following the invitation of the President of the African Development Bank, he has since March, 2002 been acting as African Water Ambassador whose responsibilities include advocacy, sensitization, and mobilization of support on African water issues. He also serves as:

• Chairperson, Advisory Board, Institute of Security Studies (ISS) based in Pretoria, South Africa
• Chairperson of the International Board of Trustees, Africa Humanitarian Action (AHI) based in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
• Member and Chairperson of the Advisory Board of Trustees of the Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance, Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe
• Member of the Panel of the Wise, a consultative body of the African Union

At international level, Salim serves on the following boards, panels and commissions:

• Co-chair, Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Small Arms and Light Weapons (Secretariat, based in Washington DC)
• Member of the Board at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an organisation which supports good governance and great leadership in Africa. Salim is also Chair of the Foundation’s Ibrahim Prize Committee, having taken over from the inaugural chair, Kofi Annan in 2011.
• Member of the Global Leadership Foundation

Member of the Board of the South Centre (Secretariat based in Geneva)

• Member, Policy Advisory Commission, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
• Member of the Foundation Council, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue based in Geneva
• Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation

Honours and decorations

Salim holds a number of decorations/honours (including some of the highest national honours).

• Human Rights Award (United Nations New York, 1979)
• The Star of Africa (Liberia, 1980)
• The Order of the United Republic of Tanzania – Nishani Ya Jamhuri Ya Muungano Wa Tanzania, 1985)
• Order of Mille Collines (Rwanda, 1993)
• Grande Croix de l’Ordre Congolais du Dévouement (Republic of Congo, 1994)
• Grand Officier de l’Ordre du Mérite (Central African Republic, 1994)
• Medal of Africa (Libya, 9 September 1999)
• Grand Officier de l’Ordre National du Lion (Sénégal, 2000)
• Order of the Two Niles (Sudan, 2001)
• Ordre El-Athir (Algeria, 2001)
• Ordre du Mono (Togo, 2001)
• Commandant de l’Ordre National (Mali, 2001).

Salim remains an active player in the political affairs of Tanzania where he is member of the National Executive Committee of the governing political party of Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM).

See also

• African Union
• OAU
• UN
• Tanzania
• Zanzibar
• History of Tanzania

External links

• Presidents of the General Assembly
• The South Center – Geneva
• East African Center for Constitutional Development
• Salim's Speech on HIV/AIDS
• Salim on Darfur
• Press release on Darfur
• AU in Darfur

Political offices
Preceded by Edward Moringe Sokoine	Prime Minister of Tanzania 1984–1985	Succeeded by Joseph Sinde Warioba
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Indalecio Liévano	President of the United Nations General Assembly 1979–1980	Succeeded by Rüdiger von Wechmar