Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah ( ar, أحمدو ولد عبد الله) (born November 21, 1940) is a Mauritanian diplomat who was a senior

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

official.

Background

Ould-Abdallah was born on November 21, 1940, in Mauritania. He graduated from a secondary school in

Dakar Dakar ( ; ; wo, Ndakaaru) (from :wo:daqaar, daqaar ''tamarind''), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Senegal, largest city of Senegal. The city of Dakar proper has a population of 1,030,594, whereas the population of the Dakar ...

Senegal Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...

. He studied

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

at the

University of Grenoble The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

and the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

Career

Ambassador for Mauritania

From 1968 to 1985 he held several

cabinet-level A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the executive branch's top leaders. Members of a cabinet are usually called cabinet ministers or secretaries. The function of a cabinet varies: in some countrie ...

posts in the Mauritanian government, serving as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and as Minister of Trade and Transportation. He also served as Mauritania's Ambassador to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Moreover, he was Chief Executive Officer at the ''Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière de Mauritanie'', the largest mining company and cooperation in Mauritania.

UN Special Representative

Between 1985 and 1993, Ould-Abdallah worked as adviser on energy, including renewable energies and African issues, to the United Nations Secretary-General. From 1993 to 1995, he was

Secretary General Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

Boutros Boutros-Ghali Boutros Boutros-Ghali (; , ar, بطرس بطرس غالي ', ; 14 November 1922 – 16 February 2016) was an Egyptian politician and diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 1992 to 1996. An academic ...

's Special Representative in Burundi, during the first part of the

Burundi Civil War The Burundian Civil War was a civil war in Burundi lasting from 1993 to 2005. The civil war was the result of longstanding Ethnic conflict, ethnic divisions between the Hutu and the Tutsi ethnic groups. The conflict began following the first Mult ...

. Between 1996 and 2002, he served as the Executive Secretary of the Global Coalition for Africa, a Washington D.C. based intergovernmental forum dedicated to African issues. In 2002, Secretary General

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founde ...

appointed him Special Representative for West Africa at the head of the

United Nations Office for West Africa The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (abbreviated as UNOWAS) is a United Nations political mission in Dakar, Senegal established in 2002 for preventive diplomacy, political mediation, and facilitation in West Africa and the Sahe ...

. From 2003 to 2007, Ould-Abdallah was jointly Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and Chairman of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission. He was successful in supporting the peaceful settlement of the land and maritime border dispute between the two countries In 2006, the United Nations Secretary-General

sent him on a short-term mission as Special Envoy to Sudan to clarify the agreement with the Sudanese Government on the proposed UN-AU joint peacekeeping force. Ould-Abdallah has also been active in the work of

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

s, including the Global Coalition for Africa and the

World Future Council The World Future Council (WFC) is a German non-profit foundation with its headquarters in Hamburg. It works to pass on a healthy and sustainable planet with just and peaceful societies to future generations. FuturePolicy.org The website f ...

, the International Centre for Ethics, Justice and Public Life of

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , ...

ICRC The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...

, and

Search for Common Ground Searching or search may refer to: Computing technology * Search algorithm, including keyword search ** :Search algorithms * Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence * Search engine technology, software for findin ...

. He is a co-founder and a member of the Advisory Board of

Transparency International Transparency International e.V. (TI) is a German registered association founded in 1993 by former employees of the World Bank. Based in Berlin, its nonprofit and non-governmental purpose is to take action to combat global corruption with civil ...

. He is member of the International Advisory Board of the African Press Organization (APO), as well as serving on the Board of Advisors of the

International Peace and Security Institute The International Peace and Security Institute or IPSI is a division of Creative Learning an international nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) status headquartered in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2009, IPSI was acquired by Creative Learning in ...

(IPSI). He served on the Board of Directors of Search for Common Ground from 1997 to 2004, is a current member since 2011.

Somalia

From September 2007 until July 2010, Ould-Abdallah served as Special Representative for the UN Secretary-General for

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

. In this position he mediated peace talks between the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the

Union of Islamic Courts The Islamic Courts Union ( so, Midowga Maxkamadaha Islaamiga) was a legal and political organization formed to address the lawlessness that had been gripping Somalia since the fall of the Siad Barre regime in 1991 during the Somali Civil War. T ...

(UIC) and the Alliance for the Reliberation of Somalia (ARS) based in Asmara, Eritrea. He successfully negotiated the agreement between the two parties. This agreement is known as the Djibouti Agreement It was the first agreement of this kind not sponsored by a specific country, but signed under the auspices of the

. African Union, the Arab league, the

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

were co-signatures to the agreement. Mr. Ould-Abdallah established the well acclaimed steering committee on

, composed of the

, African Union and

Intergovernmental Authority on Development The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa, Nile Valley and the African Great Lakes. It is headquartered in Djibouti. Member states ;Horn of ...

. In July 2010, after the longest term in Somalia of any United Nations Special Representative, Ould-Abdallah announced his retirement from the United Nations in a farewell letter to the

Somali diaspora The Somali diaspora or Qurbajoogta refers to Somalis who were born in Greater Somalia and reside in areas of the world that they were not born in. The civil war in Somalia greatly increased the size of the Somali diaspora, as many Somalis moved fr ...

. He also thanked the leadership of Somalia's

Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, الحكومة الاتحادية الانتقالية) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...

(TFG) with whom he had worked closely. Ould-Abdallah returned to United Nations Headquarters in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

as the Mediator-in-Residence to the

Department of Political Affairs The United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) is a department of the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) with responsibility for monitoring and assessing global political developments and advising and assisting t ...

of the

United Nations Secretariat The United Nations Secretariat (french: link=no, Secrétariat des Nations unies) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), The secretariat is the UN's executive arm. The secretariat has an important role in setting the a ...

in November 2010 for his de-briefing. Ouid-Abdallah is on the Board of Advisors for the

Books

*Ould-Abdallah, Ahmedou, ''Burundi on the Brink, 1993-95: A UN Special Envoy Reflects on Preventive Diplomacy'', Washington:

United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American federal institution tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. It provides research, analysis, and training to individuals in diplomacy, mediation, and other pea ...

Press, 2000. *Ould-Abdallah, Ahmedou, ''La Diplomatie Pyromane : Burundi, Rwanda, Somalie, Bosnie… : Entretiens avec Stephen Smith'', Paris : Calmann-Levy, 1997.

Awards

Officier de l’Ordre National du Mérite, Mauritanie Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur, France Officier de l’Ordre du Lion, Sénégal Officier de l’Ordre Léopold II, Belgium Knight Golden Lion Order of the House of Nassau, Luxemburg

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ould-Abdallah, Ahmedou 1940 births Living people Grenoble Alpes University alumni University of Paris alumni Mauritanian diplomats Mauritanian officials of the United Nations People of the War in Darfur Ambassadors of Mauritania to the United States Ambassadors of Mauritania to Belgium Ambassadors of Mauritania to Luxembourg Ambassadors of Mauritania to the Netherlands Ambassadors of Mauritania to the European Union Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations