Kamel Morjane, also spelled Kemal Mourjan, ( ar, كمال مرجان; born 9 May 1948) is a Tunisian politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Defense from 2005 to 2010 and as

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 co ...

from 2010 to 2011. After the

Tunisian Revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...

, he was designated as the Minister of the Public Service.

Life and political career

Morjane was born in Hammam Sousse, Tunisia on 9 May 1948. After getting his

Bachelor of Law Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

degree and his diploma of Public Administration (ENA) from the University of Tunis, he studied

International law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

and graduated from the

Graduate Institute of International Studies Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumnus, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed hi ...

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. He obtained a diploma in

Emergency management Emergency management or disaster management is the managerial function charged with creating the framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards and cope with disasters. Emergency management, despite its name, does not actuall ...

from the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and a research certificate from

The Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law (french: Académie de droit international de La Haye) is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taugh ...

. He worked at the

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...

(UNHCR) from 1977 to 1996, and served particularly as Director of Personnel (1988–89), Director for South West Asia

North Africa and the Middle East MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...

(1990–94), then as Director for Africa (1994–96). He was appointed in October 1996 as Permanent Representative of Tunisia to the

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

and International Organisations in

. In November 1999 he was selected by the

UN Secretary General The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of the Un ...

as his Special Representative for the Congo (

DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

); his main task was to build up the UN Peacekeeping Mission (

MONUC The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name , is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was estab ...

). He had to leave the DRC in September 2001 for family reasons and was offered the post of Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees. Between 17 August 2005 and 14 January 2010 he served as Defense Minister of Tunisia. On 14 January 2010, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs. After the ouster of Tunisian President

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

in January 2011, Morjane was confirmed in the coalition government from which he resigned on 27 January 2011. He created a new political party, " Al Moubadara" (The Initiative), on 1 April 2011. He is an Eminent Member of the Sérgio Vieira de Mello Foundation and member, since 2014, of the United Nations Advisory Board on Human Security. On 5 November 2018, he was appointed as the Minister of the Public Service. On 13 November, his appointment was approved by the

Assembly of the Representatives of the People The Assembly of the People's Representatives ( ar, مجلس نواب الشعب ', french: Assemblée des représentants du peuple; ARP) is Tunisia's legislative branch of government. The unicameral Assembly replaced the Constituent Assembly and ...

. On 23 November, he was appointed a member of the directive board of the

African Union The African Union (AU) is a continental union consisting of 55 member states located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the Africa ...

's Peace Fund. On 22 August 2019, he was appointed acting head of the Tunisian government after receiving the prerogatives of

Youssef Chahed Youssef Chahed ( ar, يوسف الشاهد; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th Prime Minister of Tunisia from 27 August 2016 to 27 February 2020. Previously he was Secretary of State for Fishing from 2015 to ...

, implicated in the 2019 presidential election.

Honours

* Grand officier of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia * Grand cordon of the Order of 7-november

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morjane, Kamel 1948 births Living people People from Sousse Governorate Neo Destour politicians Socialist Destourian Party politicians Democratic Constitutional Rally politicians National Destourian Initiative politicians Government ministers of Tunisia The Hague Academy of International Law people Tunisian officials of the United Nations University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni Permanent Representatives of Tunisia to the United Nations People of the Tunisian Revolution Foreign ministers of Tunisia