Rima Khalaf Hunaidi ( ar, ريما خلف; born 1953, in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

) is a national of

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

who served as Executive Secretary of the

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA; ar, الإسكوا) is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The role of the Commission is to promote e ...

(ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017. She resigned from this position in March 2017, rather than comply with a request from the UN Secretary General António Guterres to withdraw a report that accused Israel of establishing an apartheid regime.

Education

Khalaf holds a BA in

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 ...

from the American University of Beirut and a Master's in Economics and a Ph.D in System Science from

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decad ...

in the United States of America.

Career

Public service

Rima Khalaf Hunaidi held several high-ranking ministerial positions in Jordan, including: *

Minister of Industry and Trade The industry minister is a cabinet position in a government. The title may refer to the head of the governmental department that specializes in industry. This position may also be responsible for trade and employment, areas that fall under the mi ...

(1993–1995). *

Minister of Planning Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(1995–1998). *

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president ...

and Minister of Planning (1999–2000). In her capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and head of the ministerial economic team, Khalaf promoted economic reform in Jordan while working on promoting social development through building human capital, alleviating poverty and strengthening social safety nets.

International forums for development

Khalaf held the position of Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States (RBAS) at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) from 2000 to 2006. She led important regional initiatives on

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

, knowledge acquisition and economic growth in the

Arab States The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western As ...

. She was the founder of the pioneering Arab Human Development Report. The first Report in the series, entitled "Creating Opportunities for Future Generations", received the 2003 Prince Claus Award. The third Report, entitled "Towards Freedom in the Arab World", received the King Hussein Leadership Prize in 2005. Khalaf is a regular contributor to regional and international policy forums concerned with the state of development in the Arab world. She participated in a number of international commissions chief among them are the High Level Commission on the Modernization of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

Group Governance (2008–2009), and the International Advisory Group for Managing Global Insecurity (2007–2008). Ms. Khalaf also served as the Chairperson of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Democracy Fund (2006–2007). She was a visiting scholar at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

during the spring semester of 2009-2010. Also in 2008-9 Khalaf served as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. Khalaf served at the

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 ...

as Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) from 2010 to 2017.

UN controversy

On 17 March 2017, Rima Khalaf announced her resignation from her position at the UN saying the UN had pressured her to withdraw a report published by

ESCWA The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA; ar, الإسكوا) is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The role of the Commission is to promote e ...

, co-authored by

Richard Falk Richard Anderson Falk (born November 13, 1930) is an American professor emeritus of international law at Princeton University, and Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor's Chairman of the Board of Trustees. In 2004, he was listed as the autho ...

, accusing Israel of establishing "an

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

regime". The UN Secretary-General António Guterres requested the removal of the report from the UN website after previously distancing himself from it. United States UN ambassador Nikki Haley, commenting on the resignation, said: "When someone issues a false and defamatory report in the name of the UN, it is appropriate that the person resign." She had assisted in appointing Falk to write the report, and defend its contents. Israel described her as an

anti-semite Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

. "A few weeks ago ... together with our American friends, we made clear that Rima Khalaf, an anti-Semite, a promoter of BDS, will not be tolerated in the halls of the UN", Israel's ambassador to the UN,

Danny Danon Danny Danon (Hebrew: דני דנון, born 8 May 1971) served as Israel’s 17th Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and currently serves as Chairman of the World Likud. Danon previously served as a member of the Knesset from the Liku ...

, told attendees at the UN. However, Khalaf has dismissed previous Israeli allegations of anti-Semitism and has stood by the report.Israel holds anti-BDS summit at United Nations
Al Jazeera, 30/03/17

Awards

Khalaf received the League of Arab States award for "the Most Distinguished Arab Woman in the Field of International Organizations" in 2005 and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the

American University of Cairo The American University in Cairo (AUC; ar, الجامعة الأمريكية بالقاهرة, Al-Jāmi‘a al-’Amrīkiyya bi-l-Qāhira) is a private research university in Cairo, Egypt. The university offers American-style learning programs ...

in 2009, in recognition of her "important regional initiatives in education, women's rights, civic engagement and economic growth". In December 2009, the Financial Times listed Khalaf among the top fifty people who shaped the decade.

Personal life

A Jordanian citizen, Khalaf is married and has two children.

References

External links

UN Biography Rima Khalaf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalaf, Rima Living people 1953 births Industry ministers of Jordan Planning ministers of Jordan Trade ministers of Jordan Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations Jordanian officials of the United Nations Women government ministers of Jordan 21st-century Jordanian women politicians 21st-century Jordanian politicians 20th-century Jordanian women politicians 20th-century Jordanian politicians