Sadruddin Aga Khan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sadruddin Aga Khan
Born	(1933-01-17)17 January 1933 Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Died	12 May 2003(2003-05-12) (aged 70) Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Alma mater	Harvard College
Spouse(s)	Nina Dyer (m.1957–1962) Catherine Aleya Sursock (m.1972–2003)
Parent(s)	Aga Khan III (father) Andrée Joséphine Carron (mother)
Family	Aly Khan (brother) Aga Khan IV (nephew), Amyn Aga Khan (nephew), Yasmin Aga Khan (niece)

Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan (born January 17, 1933 – died May 12, 2003) was an important leader and activist. He worked as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from 1966 to 1977. During his time, he helped the agency focus on refugee problems all over the world, not just in Europe. He also believed that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and UN groups should work together more.

Prince Sadruddin was very interested in protecting the environment. He started the Bellerive Foundation in the late 1970s. He was also a respected collector of Islamic art. He was born in Paris, France, and was the son of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan and Princess Andrée Aga Khan. He was married twice but did not have any children of his own. Prince Sadruddin passed away from cancer at age 70 and was buried in Switzerland.

Life and Career Highlights

Early Life and Learning

Prince Sadruddin was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. He was the only child of Sir Sultan Mahomed Shah Aga Khan III and his French mother, Andrée Joséphine Carron. He went to school in Lausanne, Switzerland. Later, he graduated from Harvard College in 1954. At Harvard, he lived with interesting people, including the grandson of artist Henri Matisse and the grandson of writer James Joyce. He also helped edit the Harvard Lampoon magazine. After studying for three more years, Prince Sadruddin began his long career of helping people around the world.

Even though he grew up in Europe with his French mother, his father had a big influence on him. His father was the leader of the Nizari Ismaili Muslims. Prince Sadruddin remembered that his father wanted him to learn the Quran and understand Islam. His father was a very strong person but also open-minded.

Prince Sadruddin traveled a lot in Muslim countries with his father. This helped him connect with his Islamic background from a young age. He felt that Iran was where his family came from, even though he never lived there. His grandmother used to tell him stories from famous Persian poems. He had citizenship from Britain, France, Iran, and Switzerland. He spoke French, English, German, and Italian very well, and also some Persian and Arabic.

Working with UNESCO

Prince Sadruddin started working for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1958. In 1961, he became a leader for a special project to save ancient treasures in Nubia. This project brought together archaeologists from different countries, even during the Cold War.

The building of the Aswan Dam was going to flood many ancient Egyptian sites. These included Abu Simbel and the temples of Philae. Prince Sadruddin later said this project was "one of UNESCO's great achievements." It was amazing because they managed to work together despite tensions in the Middle East and the Cold War.

Leading the UN Refugee Agency

Prince Sadruddin first worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 1959. He focused on the World Refugee Year. This project raised money through a special "Stamp Plan" with help from many countries. At that time, UNHCR mainly helped refugees from Eastern Europe.

In January 1966, Prince Sadruddin became the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He was only 33 years old, making him the youngest person to lead the UNHCR. For the next twelve years, he guided the agency through many difficult times. He helped organize the international response to several big crises.

These crises included the 1971 Bangladesh crisis, which forced 10 million people to leave their homes. He also helped with the 1972 exodus of Hutus from Burundi to Tanzania. Another challenge was the Vietnamese boat people tragedy in the mid-1970s. In 1972, Prince Sadruddin was key in finding new homes for thousands of South Asians who were forced out of Uganda by Idi Amin.

Prince Sadruddin believed that all refugees deserved help, no matter where they came from. This helped UNHCR change its focus. In the 1950s, most refugees were from Europe. But by the 1970s, Europe's refugee problems were mostly solved. Instead, millions of people were displaced in developing countries. He expanded UNHCR's work beyond Europe to help refugees from Palestine, Vietnam, Angola, and Algeria. By the time he stepped down in 1977, he had been the longest-serving UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He continued to help with humanitarian issues for the UN in other roles.

Later UN Work

After 1978, Prince Sadruddin held many important roles for the United Nations. He was a special advisor to the UN Secretary-General. He also worked on human rights and financial issues for the UN.

In 1990, he was appointed to help with the crisis between Iraq and Kuwait. This job needed great diplomatic skill. Iraq's President Saddam Hussein did not trust the UN. But Prince Sadruddin successfully talked with Iraq's Foreign Minister. He managed to set up a UN aid program for thousands of Shia Muslims stuck in the marshlands of southern Iraq.

Prince Sadruddin was considered twice for the top job of UN Secretary-General. In 1981, he won the vote, but the Soviet Union did not approve him because they thought he was too Western. In 1991, he was nominated again. This time, the United States and Britain disagreed with his idea of giving more aid to Iraq.

Caring for the Environment

In 1977, Prince Sadruddin started the Bellerive Foundation in Geneva, Switzerland. This group worked to protect the environment and save natural resources. It also aimed to protect all forms of life.

Bellerive first worked with UNICEF to fight against deforestation (cutting down too many trees). Prince Sadruddin was worried about "ecological refugees." These were people forced to leave their homes because the land could no longer support them due to things like desertification. The foundation worked to create low-cost, energy-efficient cooking stoves. These stoves used renewable energy like methane and biogas. They gave these stoves to people in need, mostly in Africa. Bellerive also cared about stopping the spread of nuclear weapons and protecting endangered animals.

Living in Switzerland, Prince Sadruddin was concerned about how tourism and deforestation were harming the Alps. In 1990, he started Alp Action to protect the mountain environment. This program encouraged eco-tourism, which means traveling in a way that does not harm nature. Alp Action successfully launched over 140 projects in seven countries.

Prince Sadruddin was also a long-time leader and former Vice-President of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Bellerive supported efforts to save threatened species. It was also one of the first groups to warn about the health risks of modern intensive farming.

In 2006, the Bellerive Foundation joined with the Aga Khan Foundation. This created the Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan Fund for the Environment. This fund has US$10 million to find solutions for environmental problems. It focuses on environmental education, managing natural resources, protecting wildlife, eco-friendly tourism, environmental health, and research.

His Passing and Legacy

Prince Sadruddin passed away from cancer in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 12, 2003. This was the same day his older half-brother, Prince Aly Khan, had died 43 years earlier. His body was taken to Switzerland. Many important people came to pay their respects at the Bellerive Castle.

Ruud Lubbers, who was the UNHCR High Commissioner at the time, said that Prince Sadruddin "left an indelible print on UNHCR's history." He added that "Sadruddin's name became synonymous with UNHCR."

Prince Sadruddin was buried in a private ceremony with his family. Traditional Muslim prayers were led by Sheikh Ahmed Ahmed Ibrahim. The Canton of Geneva (a Swiss region) said that his family's story was closely linked to their town and to efforts to improve human lives.

The United Nations held a special ceremony in New York on October 28, 2003, to remember Prince Sadruddin. He was remembered for showing the kind and caring side of the international community. Then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said that Prince Sadruddin "combined respect for humankind with concern for our environment." He added that Prince Sadruddin was "a role model to many of us."

He was survived by his wife, Princess Catherine, and his three stepsons. He was also survived by his nephews and niece, Prince Karim, Prince Amyn, and Princess Yasmin. Prince Sadruddin and Princess Catherine wished to be buried in Egypt.

Personal Life and Interests

Prince Sadruddin's life was greatly shaped by his family history and culture. His grandmother was a granddaughter of the Qajar Emperor Fath'Ali Shah.

Helping others internationally was a family tradition. His father had important roles in British India and was also President of the League of Nations twice. Prince Sadruddin's older half-brother, Prince Aly Khan, was Pakistan's Ambassador to the United Nations. His nephew, Prince Karim Aga Khan IV, is the current leader of the Ismaili Muslims and founded the Aga Khan Development Network. His other nephew, Prince Amyn, also worked for the United Nations. His niece, Princess Yasmin, works to fight Alzheimer's disease.

Prince Sadruddin loved culture, including music, art, and books. He often attended music festivals and other cultural events. He enjoyed the outdoors and was a good skier and sailor. In 1953, while at Harvard, he helped start the Paris Review magazine. This magazine aimed to publish new creative writing. The Review gives out the Aga Khan Prize for Fiction every year for the best short story it publishes.

Marriages

On August 27, 1957, in Bellerive, Switzerland, Prince Sadruddin married Nina Dyer. She was a fashion model who converted to Islam and took the name "Shirin." They did not have children and divorced in 1962.

He married Catherine Aleya Beriketti Sursock on November 25, 1972. She had three sons from a previous marriage: Alexandre, Marc, and Nicolas. Prince Sadruddin did not have children with Catherine, but he became a stepfather to her sons.

Art Collection

During his life, Prince Sadruddin built one of the best private collections of Islamic art in the world. He became a very knowledgeable collector. Over 50 years, he gathered a priceless collection of paintings, drawings, and miniatures. He also collected African art, which he sold before 1985.

Prince Sadruddin's interest in Islamic art began when he was young. His grandmother had a library full of Persian books and mystical texts. While at Harvard in the 1950s, he started buying art in New York. Later, he bought from dealers in Paris, Geneva, and London. He often bid at famous auctions like Sotheby's and Christie's. His friend Stuart Cary Welch, an expert in Islamic art, gave him advice.

His collection is very large and varied. It includes Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Indian pieces dating back to the 10th century. For example, he owned a page from a Quran that is over 1,000 years old. It is from North Africa and written with gold letters. His Persian family roots are shown in many beautiful calligraphic and pictorial pieces. The collection also has many examples of Ottoman writings and paintings.

Over the years, parts of his collection were shown in New York, London, and Zurich. A traveling show called "Princes, Poets and Paladins" was organized by the British Museum in 1998. The complete collection is now kept at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. This museum was created by Prince Sadruddin's nephew, the current Aga Khan.

Awards and Honors

Prince Sadruddin received many honorary degrees and awards from different countries. These included Pakistan, Poland, and the Vatican. He also received the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights. In 1991, he was chosen as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

He was given the Bourgeois d'Honneur de Geneve (Honorary Citizen of Geneva). He was also made a Commandeur of the Légion d'honneur of France and a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Sylvester of the Holy See. He received the Order of the Nile from Egypt. He was also made a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for his work in helping people and supporting the arts. He was an honorary citizen of Patmos, Greece, where he owned a house.

See also

In Spanish: Sadruddin Aga Khan para niños