Nabil Elaraby facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nabil Elaraby
نبيل العربي
Elaraby in 2014
7th Secretary-General of the Arab League
In office 1 July 2011 – 3 July 2016
Deputy	Samir Nasibi
Preceded by	Amr Moussa
Succeeded by	Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 6 March 2011 – 1 June 2011
Prime Minister	Essam Sharaf
Preceded by	Ahmed Aboul Gheit
Succeeded by	Mohamed Orabi
Ambassador to the United Nations
In office 20 May 1991 – 20 May 1995
President	Hosni Mubarak
Preceded by	Amr Moussa
Succeeded by	Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid
Personal details
Born	(1935-03-15)15 March 1935 Cairo, Egypt
Died	26 August 2024(2024-08-26) (aged 89)
Alma mater	Cairo University New York University

Nabil Elaraby (Arabic: نبيل العربي; born 15 March 1935 – died 26 August 2024) was an important Egyptian politician and diplomat. He served as the Secretary General of the Arab League from 2011 to 2016. Before that, he was Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister for a few months in 2011.

Early Life and Education

Nabil Elaraby was born on 15 March 1935. He studied law at Cairo University in Egypt. Later, he went to New York University in the United States. There, he earned advanced degrees in law, including a J.S.D. in 1971.

A Career in Diplomacy

Nabil Elaraby had a long and successful career working for his country and for international peace. He was known for his skills in talking and solving problems between countries.

Working for Egypt

From 1976 to 1978, Elaraby worked as a legal advisor for Egypt's Foreign Ministry. He helped with laws and agreements between countries. He then became Egypt's Ambassador to India from 1981 to 1983. An ambassador is a country's main representative in another country.

He played a key role in important peace talks for Egypt. He was a legal advisor for the Egyptian team at the Camp David Middle East peace conference in 1978. This conference helped create a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. He also led the Egyptian team for the Taba negotiations from 1985 to 1989. These talks helped settle a border dispute between Egypt and Israel.

Helping the United Nations

Elaraby also worked a lot with the United Nations (UN). The UN is an organization where countries work together to promote peace and solve global problems.

• From 1978 to 1981, he was Egypt's Deputy Representative to the UN in New York.
• He was Egypt's main representative to the UN in Geneva from 1987 to 1991.
• From 1991 to 1999, he was the Permanent Representative to the UN in New York. This meant he was Egypt's top diplomat at the UN headquarters.
• He was a member of the International Law Commission, which helps develop international laws.
• In 1996, he was the President of the Security Council. This is one of the most powerful parts of the UN, responsible for keeping international peace.
• He also served as a judge at the International Court of Justice from 2001 to 2006. This court settles legal disputes between countries.

Nabil Elaraby (right) meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2005, when Elaraby was a judge at the International Court of Justice.

Other Important International Work

Elaraby was involved in many other international groups. He was an arbitrator for the International Chamber of Commerce. An arbitrator helps solve disagreements between businesses or countries. He also served as a judge for an oil organization of Arab countries.

From 2000 to 2010, he was on the board of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. This group studies peace and conflict. He also worked with the Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.

Role in the Egyptian Revolution

In 2011, there was a big revolution in Egypt. Many people protested to bring about change. Nabil Elaraby was one of the important Egyptians who worked between the protesters and the government. He pushed for President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

Elaraby believed that the Egyptian government needed to be more open and fair. He said that foreign policy should always be based on what is best for Egypt.

On 6 March 2011, he became Egypt's Foreign Affairs Minister. In this role, he helped open the Rafah Border Crossing with Gaza. He also helped bring together two Palestinian groups, Hamas and Fatah.

Nabil Elaraby (center) at an international conference in Paris in 2011.

Leading the Arab League

On 15 May 2011, Nabil Elaraby was chosen to be the Secretary General of the Arab League. The Arab League is a group of Arab countries that work together on political, economic, and social issues. He officially started this important job on 1 July 2011 and served until 2016.

Later Life

Nabil Elaraby passed away on 26 August 2024, at the age of 89.

Awards and Honours

Nabil Elaraby received several important awards for his work:

Ribbon bar	Country	Honour
	Egypt	Grand Cordon of the Order of the Arab Republic of Egypt
	Tunisia	Grand Officier of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia

Books He Wrote

• Taba, Camp David, Israeli West Bank barrier : From United Nations Security Council to the International Court of Justice (طابا.. كامب ديفيد.. الجدار العازل: صراع الدبلوماسية من مجلس الأمن إلى المحكمة الدولية), published in Cairo, 2017. This book talks about his experiences with important peace talks and legal cases.

See also

In Spanish: Nabil el-Araby para niños