"Over three decades of experience in politics, statesmanship, bilateral and multilateral negotiations and conciliation make Ben uniquely well suited for the presidency of the UN General Assembly, as does his intimate familiarity with a continent containing one-quarter of the UN's member states and one-sixth of the world's people." -- Mr. Maurice Tempelsman, Chairman, Corporate Council on Africa
Mr. Theo-Ben Gurirab Photo: UN |
Botswana's Permanent Representative to the UN Legwaila Joseph Legwaila describes the newly-elected president of the 54th UN General Assembly, Namibian Foreign Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, as "the best diplomat that Namibia has ever produced." He says he used to compare Mr. Gurirab with the new President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, when Mr. Mbeki was in charge of international relations for the African National Congress and Mr. Gurirab headed international relations for the South West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO).
"I used to think, and I have not changed my mind, that the two were the best diplomats Southern Africa could ever have," comments Ambassador Legwaila, who is the longest-serving African ambassador at the UN. He is thoroughly convinced that Mr. Gurirab "is going to do a very good job as president of the General Assembly."
Mr. Gurirab, 60, was elected on 14 September 1999 to preside over the General Assembly until September 2000. His presidency coincides with Namibia's membership of the Security Council, which runs from January 1999 to December 2000.
Ambassador Legwaila says Mr. Gurirab will actively support UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's efforts to ensure that the international community does not forget Africa. "The General Assembly is where [every nation] is represented -- 185 of us -- and that is where the message of Africa being an important constituency for the UN should be heard loud and clear."
Pointing out that Mr. Annan is finding it difficult to convince the international community that Africa is as important as Kosovo, that African conflicts are human conflicts like the conflict in Kosovo and other parts of eastern Europe, the Botswanan ambassador asserts: "Ben will drum up the whole message. He will tell the international community that it should not forget that there is another place, called Africa, where there are conflicts -- conflicts which predate the conflict in Kosovo, conflicts which have caused more deaths, more suffering than in Kosovo."
Mr. Gurirab may not be listened to more than the others who have been preaching the same message, "but he will be damned if he doesn't continue the same message," Ambassador Legwaila adds. "He should continue to make sure he sends the message to the international community. All of us, together with the Secretary-General, will be there to share the burden of running the United Nations. We will be there, all of us from Africa, to make sure he becomes a successful president of the General Assembly." But Mr. Gurirab "has broad shoulders," Ambassador Legwaila quickly points out. "I don't think the task of leading the General Assembly will be too difficult for him to bear."
Many interviewed by Africa Recovery agree. Mr. Frank Ferrari, who for many years was the senior vice president of the Africa-America Institute and who has known Mr. Gurirab from his days as the Chief Representative of SWAPO to the UN in the 1970s, says he is an excellent appointment. "I think he is an extremely distinguished person who brings a history of involvement with, and knowledge of, the United Nations. He embodies that spirit. I have always been taken with the way he has seen Africa as a global issue and how global issues impact on Africa."
Mr. Ferrari adds that the respect and esteem Mr. Gurirab had for the UN was always evident. "He brings a deep concern with the issues of humanity, which are as true today as they were ... back in those early days. And although [his new position] is one of policy direction and concern with the affairs of each and every member state, he always will keep humanity at the centre of policy."
Mr. Elombe Brath, leader of the Patrice Lumumba Coalition in Harlem who worked closely with the SWAPO leadership during its struggle for independence, says he finds Mr. Gurirab to be one of the most astute representatives who have come from any country, particularly in his relationship with the African-American community. "Mr. Gurirab has a grounding not only in the nuances and aspirations of the people of Namibia but also in coupling them with the aspirations of some of the most progressive minds in the African community in this country." Mr. Brath, who for some 40 years has been involved with African issues, believes Mr. Gurirab's position "will benefit all people of African ancestry through the new millennium."
Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN Kishore Mahbubani describes Mr. Gurirab as "the right man at the right time" who brings great advantage to the job at a time when the UN faces enormous challenges, when "we are entering the new millennium."
Ambassador Mahbubani says it is important that Mr. Gurirab was selected because African issues have been marginalised, and "if you have a strong president from the African region he can help put them back in the forefront." The writer-diplomat recalls how he used to see Mr. Gurirab in the corridors of the UN working assiduously. "He was incredibly hardworking, always had a friendly smile and was a real member of the UN community."
Mr. Maurice Tempelsman, chairman of the Washington-based Corporate Council on Africa, says he first came to know Mr. Gurirab in the 1960s, when the cause of Namibian independence was only beginning to be widely recognized in the international community. His "exceptional skills" in an inhospitable context were readily apparent.
"Over three decades of experience in politics, statesmanship, bilateral and multilateral negotiations and conciliation make Ben uniquely well suited for the presidency of the UN General Assembly, as does his intimate familiarity with a continent containing one-quarter of the UN's member states and one-sixth of the world's people."
Mr. Tempelsman states that Mr. Gurirab's new responsibilities, along with Namibia's membership of the Security Council, also epitomize an exceptional degree of commitment by the country to the UN and its possibilities.
The Namibian commitment is at least partly rooted in history, Mr. Tempelsman notes. "The UN effectively served as midwife to Namibia's birth as a nation state, and the subsequent success of Namibia's policy of national reconciliation suggests what can be accomplished in surmounting the bitterest legacies of division when wise national leadership is combined with skilled diplomacy. We have now come full circle, with Namibia playing a leadership role in the UN when precisely these sorts of challenges are multiplying around the globe; and I believe Ben and his country have the opportunity to make a special contribution to their resolution." [See Africa Recovery, Vol. 12 No. 4, April 1999, for a country focus on Namibia.]
Mr. Gurirab's career in diplomacy started shortly after he fled into political exile from South Africa-occupied Namibia in 1962. Two years later in Philadelphia, while he was an undergraduate student at Temple University, SWAPO leader Sam Nujoma (now President of Namibia) appointed him and Mr. Hage Geingob (now Prime Minister) as SWAPO Representatives to the UN and the Americas.
Eight years later, Mr. Geingob joined the UN Secretariat and Mr. Gurirab took over from him SWAPO's stewardship at the UN. "Comrade Nujoma then gave me US$500 to run SWAPO business and also to take care of myself in New York," he recalls in a recent autobiography. "I was astonished when Comrade Nujoma recounted that episode so many years later to Ambassador Tuliameni Kalomoh and his staff in 1993 at our Embassy in Washington, DC. We had a good laugh about it."
Mr. Gurirab was appointed Foreign Minister in 1990 when Namibia achieved independence. He has held that post ever since, becoming one of the longest serving foreign ministers in the world and dean of African foreign ministers. In April 1999 the University of Namibia awarded him an honourary Doctorate of Laws for his contribution to the liberation struggle and for helping to put Namibia on the world map.
Photo: UN / Milton
Grant
Some of his earlier successes at the UN included getting SWAPO granted full permanent observer status, complete with privileges and immunities, and securing UN funding for the liberation movement's UN mission. "Except for voting I could now sit behind SWAPO's own sign in the august General Assembly chamber and participate in all its deliberations," he recalls. "In terms of conference diplomacy and political networking, I became part and parcel of the establishment and an expert buttonholer."
Ms. Maria de Almeida, who spent 14 years working for the UN Council for Namibia and who closely observed his work as SWAPO's Chief Representative to the UN, says Mr. Gurirab acquired in-depth knowledge of the UN structure. "He featured in every major organ of the UN and mastered the dynamics of how each of these bodies function. He was a skilled negotiator."
Ms. Almeida says Mr. Gurirab has tremendous institutional memory. "Having him preside over the affairs of the General Assembly is like having another Kofi Annan -- two sons of Africa with monumental knowledge of the system running the UN."
Mr. Olara Otunnu, who is now the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children in Armed Conflict and was Uganda's Permanent Representative to the UN from 1980 to 1985, confirms this observation. "He knows the United Nations exceedingly well. He has spent a lot of time inside the United Nations. He knows the issues. He knows the processes. He knows some of the key personalities. He knows the history very, very well."
Mr. Otunnu adds that Mr. Gurirab is also "somebody who is very committed. Whatever he undertakes, he throws his mind and heart into it."
Mr. Otunnu further points out that Namibia is a country which, after
a peaceful transition to independence, moved to consolidate peace within
a context of genuine democracy. "That is a very good example in a continent
where both democracy and peace are still relatively rare. So [Mr. Gurirab's
presidency] is a good choice of a country and a good choice of an individual.
All those factors should make him a very successful president of the General
Assembly."
