Hilia Barber is a

Bissau-Guinean Guinea-Bissau ( ; pt, Guiné-Bissau; ff, italic=no, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫 𞤄𞤭𞤧𞤢𞥄𞤱𞤮, Gine-Bisaawo, script=Adlm; Mandinka: ''Gine-Bisawo''), officially the Republic of Guinea-Bissau ( pt, República da Guiné-Bissau, links=no ) ...

politician who served as the country's first female

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

in 1999. She has also served as the country's ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

Career

Hilia Barber has a long history in the foreign service. She was chief of the Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Europe-America department in 1982. In this role Barber was part of a delegation sent to Cuba to negotiate technical assistance, international scholarships and military training. She presented her credentials to

President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...

Ezer Weizman on 17 April 1996. Barber was the first ambassador to Israel from Guinea-Bissau. Whilst serving in this role, in July 1998 she successfully sought humanitarian aid from the Israeli government to help alleviate suffering as a result of the Guinea-Bissau Civil War. In early 1999 Barber was appointed

, the first woman to serve in that role. She was replaced by José Pereira Baptista later that same year. By 2013 Barber had become Guinea-Bissau's ambassador to France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Hilia Living people Foreign ministers of Guinea-Bissau Ambassadors of Guinea-Bissau to France Ambassadors of Guinea-Bissau to Israel Women government ministers of Guinea-Bissau Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Bissau-Guinean women diplomats Bissau-Guinean diplomats Bissau-Guinean women ambassadors 20th-century women politicians 21st-century diplomats 20th-century diplomats Female foreign ministers