Roza Otunbayeva facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Roza Otunbayeva
Роза Отунбаева
Otunbayeva in 2011

3rd President of Kyrgyzstan
In office 3 July 2010 – 1 December 2011 Acting: 7 April 2010 – 3 July 2010
Prime Minister	Almazbek Atambayev Omurbek Babanov (Acting) Almazbek Atambayev
Preceded by	Kurmanbek Bakiyev
Succeeded by	Almazbek Atambayev
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 26 February 1992 – 10 October 1992
Prime Minister	Tursunbek Chyngyshev
Preceded by	Muratbek Imanaliyev
Succeeded by	Ednan Karabayev
Kyrgyz Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office 1997–2002
President	Askar Akayev
Deputy Prime Minister of the Kirghiz SSR
In office 1986–1989
President	Absamat Masaliyev
Preceded by	Jamal Tashibekova
Succeeded by	Zhanyl Tumenbayeva

Personal details
Born	(1950-08-23) 23 August 1950 (age 74) Frunze, Kirghiz SSR, USSR
Political party	Social Democratic Party
Spouse	Bolot Sadybakasov (divorced 1997)
Children	3
Alma mater	Moscow State University
Website	roza.kg

Roza Isakovna Otunbayeva (born 23 August 1950) is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician. She made history as the first female Central Asian head of state. She served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from April 7, 2010, to December 1, 2011.

She became the interim leader after the Kyrgyz Revolution of 2010 in April 2010. This event led to the previous president, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, leaving office. Roza Otunbayeva was officially sworn in as president on July 3, 2010. Before becoming president, she was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. She also led the parliamentary group for the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan.

Since 2022, Otunbayeva has been working for the United Nations. She is the Special Representative for Afghanistan and leads the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Early Life and Education
Political Journey
After Her Presidency
Awards and Recognition
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Roza Otunbayeva was born in Frunze on August 23, 1950. Frunze is now known as Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan. At that time, it was part of the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic in the Soviet Union. Her father, Isak Otunbayev, was a member of the Supreme Court. Her mother, Salika Daniyarova, was a teacher.

Roza Otunbayeva studied at Moscow State University. She graduated from the Philosophy Faculty in 1972. After her studies, she taught at Kyrgyz State National University. She worked there for six years, from 1975 to 1981. She started as a Senior Teacher and later became the Head of the Philosophy Department.

In 1975, she earned a special degree called Candidate of Sciences. Her research focused on a topic related to Marxist-Leninist dialectic.

Otunbayeva is divorced and has two children. She is very good at languages. Besides Kyrgyz, she speaks Russian, English, German, and French.

Political Journey

Roza Otunbayeva started her political career in 1981. She joined the Communist Party in Frunze (now Bishkek). From 1983 to 1986, she served as the Secretary of the City Communist Party Committee. In 1986, she became the Deputy to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers. At the same time, she was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic.

In 1989, she took on international roles. She was appointed as the Executive Secretary and later the Chairwoman of the USSR UNESCO National Committee. She also became a member of the USSR Foreign Ministry's Board. From 1989 to 1992, she was the Vice-President of the UNESCO Executive Council.

After Kyrgyzstan became independent in 1992, Askar Akayev became president. He chose Roza Otunbayeva to be Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister. Later that year, she became Kyrgyzstan's first ambassador to the US and Canada. She held these ambassador roles until 1994. In May 1994, she returned to her role as Kyrgyz Minister of Foreign Affairs for three more years. From 1997 to 2002, she was the first Kyrgyz ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

From 2002 to 2004, she worked for the United Nations. She was the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the Peacekeeping Mission for Georgia.

Return to Kyrgyzstan Politics

When she returned to Kyrgyzstan in late 2004, Otunbayeva became very active in politics. In December 2004, she and other politicians started a public movement called Ata-Jurt (Fatherland). This was to prepare for the parliamentary elections in February 2005.

From March to September 2005, Otunbayeva served as the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Role in the Tulip Revolution

Otunbayeva was an important leader in the Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan. This revolution led to President Akayev being removed from power. After the revolution, she served as Acting Foreign Minister for a few months. This was in the temporary government led by then-Prime Minister Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

After Bakiyev was elected President, Otunbayeva did not get enough support from parliament to become Foreign Minister again. She then tried to win a seat in parliament but was not successful. Otunbayeva played a key role in protests in November 2006. These protests successfully pushed for a new, more democratic constitution.

She was also a co-chairwoman of the Asaba (Flag) National Revival Party for a short time. In December 2007, Otunbayeva was elected to the Jogorku Kenesh, which is the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. She was elected on the list of the Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan. She served as the Leader of the Opposition SDP from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, she became the Leader of the People's Front opposition.

Becoming President in 2010

On April 7, 2010, opposition leaders chose Roza Otunbayeva to lead the Interim Government of the Kyrgyz Republic. This happened after many protests in Bishkek and the removal of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Otunbayeva meets Hillary Clinton in 2011

Otunbayeva with Vladimir Putin in 2010

Bakiyev left the Jalal-Abad area as the protests became more serious. He resigned as president on April 10, 2010, and left the country. Otunbayeva promised that new elections would be held within six months. She would act as president until then.

There were still protests supporting the former president in Jalalabad. On May 19, 2010, the interim government announced that elections would be delayed until 2011. Otunbayeva was named as president. After a public vote on a new Kyrgyz constitution, she was sworn in on July 3, 2010. The new constitution did not allow Otunbayeva to run in the 2011 presidential election. Her term ended on December 31, 2011.

The public vote was supported by over 90% of voters. It changed the government from a Presidential republic to a Parliamentary republic. Parliamentary elections were held in October. The new parliament then elected the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

After Her Presidency

In January 2012, Otunbayeva started the International Public Foundation "Roza Otunbayeva Initiative." This foundation works on programs and projects to help Kyrgyzstan grow socially, politically, and economically.

In May 2018, she gave a speech at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She said that young people in Kyrgyzstan really value freedom. She explained that they "have been infected by freedom and it runs deep."

Awards and Recognition

Roza Otunbayeva has received many honors for her work. In 2011, Newsweek and Daily Beast listed her as one of the 150 Most Influential Women in the World.

She received France's "Legion of Honour" Award with the degree of Commander. She also received Mongolia's highest award, the "Polar Star" Award. She was given the Premio Minerva Medallion from Italy. This award recognized her for holding the highest role in Kyrgyzstan and for promoting democracy and peace around the world.

In 2011, Otunbayeva received an International Women of Courage Award from the United States. This award honors women who show leadership, courage, and a willingness to help others, especially in promoting women's rights. In 2012, the Eurasia Foundation (USA) gave her the Bill Maynes Award. This was for her strong leadership during Kyrgyzstan's change to a new constitution and for her lifetime of public service.

Roza Otunbayeva (left, seated), then-Foreign Minister, at the Azattyk Media studio in Bishkek, with journalists in 2005.

Otunbayeva is a member of several important groups:

Club of Madrid (Madrid)
Governing Board of the Interstate Foundation of Humanitarian Cooperation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) (Moscow)
Leadership Council of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, a Global Initiative of the United Nations (New York)
Board of the UN University for Peace (UPEACE) in Costa Rica
Board of the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (New Delhi)
IOM Migration Advisory Board (Geneva)

She is also an Honorary Professor at many universities, including: