Mushira Chattab

Muschira Chattab (2010)

Muschira Chattab ( Arabic مشيرة خطاب, DMG Mušīra Ḫaṭṭāb ; * July 16, 1944 in Cairo ) is an Egyptian politician and diplomat . She was Minister for Family and Population and Deputy Foreign Minister. Before that, she was Egyptian ambassador to South Africa and at the time of the dissolution of Czechoslovakia she was ambassador to the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Chattab was Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and ran for the post of UNESCO Director General.

Life

Muschira Chattab received her doctorate from Cairo University for a thesis on the rights of the child . Previously, she completed a master's degree in international relations at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA) and a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Cairo.

Chattab entered the foreign service of her country. She became ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1992 and ambassador to the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic since January 1993 . During Nelson Mandela's presidency , Chattab was Egypt's first ambassador to South Africa (1994–1999). She ended her diplomatic career as Deputy Foreign Minister.

In 1999, Chattab joined the National Council on Childhood and Maternity (NCCM) as Secretary of State. As part of the National Action Plan for Childhood and Motherhood , she developed a series of action plans to protect young people, to improve the education of girls, to combat child labor and to reintegrate street children. A particular concern of her was the campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM) and against child marriage. Corresponding laws were passed in 2008.

As a result, the National Council was transformed into a ministry and Chattab was appointed Minister of State for Family and Population. In this role she worked from March 2009 to February 2011. From 2002 to 2010 she was Vice-Chair, Rapporteur and member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and headed the expert groups of the United Nations .

After the revolution in Egypt in 2011 (“ Arab Spring ”), Chattab worked as a university professor and visiting professor at Wellesley College , Perugia University for Foreigners and the Wilson Center , among others .

Egypt nominated her as a candidate for the post of the next UNESCO Director General. In a runoff election on October 13, 2017, she faced Audrey Azoulay , who won and was then superior to the Qatari candidate, who had been leading up to that point.

Honors

Chattab was awarded the Order of Good Hope by the President of South Africa in 1999 . After 2007 the Komtursorden (Commendatore) was obtained, it was three years later with the Grand Cross (Cavaliere di Gran Croce) of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic awarded