Mahdi Elmandjra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mahdi ElMandjra
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| Born | 13 March 1933 Rabat, Morocco
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| Died | 13 June 2014 (aged 81) Rabat, Morocco
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| Nationality | Moroccan |
| Occupation | Futurologist, economist and sociologist |
Mahdi Elmandjra (Arabic: مهدي المنجرة; 13 March 1933 – 13 June 2014) was a smart Moroccan thinker. He was a futurologist, an economist, and a sociologist. A futurologist is someone who studies and predicts what might happen in the future.
Mahdi Elmandjra was one of the people who helped create the International Federation for Future Studies. He made several important predictions. For example, in 1992, he wrote about a "clash of civilizations" in his book "The First Civilisation War." This was before another well-known writer, Samuel Huntington, wrote about a similar idea. Elmandjra also predicted the "Arab Spring" events, which he called an "Intifada" in his writings.
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Learning and Schooling
Mahdi Elmandjra started his high school studies in 1944 in Casablanca, Morocco. He finished his high school diploma, called a baccalaureat, in 1948.
After that, he went to the Putney School in Vermont, USA, from 1948 to 1950. He then studied at Cornell University from 1950 to 1954, where he earned a degree in government. Later, he moved to England to study at the London School of Economics at the University of London. There, he earned his Ph.D. degree between 1954 and 1957. His special research for his Ph.D. was about the League of Arab States.
Mahdi Elmandjra's Career
After finishing his studies, Mahdi Elmandjra began teaching. He taught about international relations at the University of Rabat in Morocco starting in 1958.
He held many important jobs during his career. Early on, he was the Director General of the Moroccan Broadcasting Service. He also worked as an advisor for Morocco's team at the UN.
Working at the UN and UNESCO
From 1961 to 1981, Elmandjra worked in different roles at the UN. He was an Assistant Director General at UNESCO. UNESCO is a part of the UN that focuses on education, science, and culture. He also helped coordinate a big conference on cooperation between developing countries for the UNDP.
He was the president of the World Futures Studies Federation. He also led Futuribles International, which is another group that studies the future. In Morocco, he was the founding president of the Moroccan Association of Future Studies and the Moroccan Organization of Human Rights.
Later Career and Recognition
Mahdi Elmandjra was a member of important groups like the African Academy of Sciences. He was also part of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco. He taught as a visiting professor at Tokyo University in 1998. In 1999, he was a visiting scholar in Japan.
An award for quality education was named after him: the Mahdi Elmandjra prize. This award is given to schools and institutions that do a great job in education and research.
Key Roles at UNESCO (1961–1976)
- From 1961 to 1963, he was the Chief of the Africa Division.
- He then became the Director of the Executive Office for the Director General from 1963 to 1966.
- From 1966 to 1969, he was the Assistant Director General for Social Sciences, Human Sciences, and Culture.
- He was a Visiting Fellow at the Center for International Studies in London in 1970.
- From 1971 to 1976, he was the Assistant Director General for programming and future studies.
- He also served as a special adviser to the Director General from 1975 to 1976.
Other Important Roles
- He was a professor at the University Mohamed V in Rabat from 1976 to 1979 and again from 1981 onwards.
- He worked as an Assistant Secretary General for the United Nations Programme for Development (UNDP).
- He was a special consultant to the United Nations for the International Year of Disabled Persons (1980–1981).
- He advised the Secretary General of the United Nations from 1990 to 1991.
Groups He Was Part Of
Mahdi Elmandjra was involved in many professional groups:
- World Future Studies Federation (President, 1977–1981)
- Futuribles International (President, 1981–1990)
- Club of Rome (he resigned in 1988)
- Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco
- African Academy of Sciences
- Pugwash Movement
- Society for International Development (Council and Executive Committee)
- International Union of Architects
- Third World Forum
- Founding President of the Moroccan Association of Future Studies (AMP)
- Founding President of the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights (OMDH)
- Morocco-Japan Association (Founding Member and Vice-President)
- Moroccan Association of Economists
- Moroccan Association of Philosophy
- Moroccan Association of Historians
See also
