Salim Ahmed Salim facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Salim Ahmed Salim
سلیم احمد سلیم
Salim in 2010

7th secretary general of the Organisation of African Unity
In office 19 September 1989 – 17 September 2001
Preceded by	Ide Oumarou
Succeeded by	Amara Essy
Minister of Defense and National Service
In office 1985–1989
President	Ali Hassan Mwinyi
Prime Minister of Tanzania
In office 24 April 1984 – 5 November 1985
President	Julius Nyerere
Preceded by	Edward Sokoine
Succeeded by	Joseph Warioba
8th Minister for Foreign Affairs
In office 1981–1984
Preceded by	Benjamin Mkapa
Succeeded by	Benjamin Mkapa
Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the United Nations
In office 1970–1980
President	Julius Nyerere

Personal details
Born	Salim Ahmed Salim (1942-01-23) 23 January 1942 (age 83)
Nationality	Tanzania
Children	3 Maryam Ali Ahmed
Alma mater	University of Delhi SIPA, Columbia (MIA)
Committees	Chair, Mo Ibrahim Prize selection committee
Positions	Chancellor, HKMU Chair, MNF

Salim Ahmed Salim (born January 23, 1942) is a well-known Tanzanian politician and diplomat. He has worked in important roles around the world since the 1960s. He even served as the Prime Minister of Tanzania for one year, from 1984 to 1985.

Early Life and Background
Education and Early Activism
Key Roles in Tanzania
Diplomatic Work Around the World
Honours and Awards
See also

Early Life and Background

Salim Ahmed Salim was born in a place that was then called the Sultanate of Zanzibar. His father, Sheikh Ahmed Salim Riyami, was from Oman. His mother was Tanzanian, with a mix of Arab and African heritage.

Education and Early Activism

Salim went to Lumumba College in Zanzibar. Later, he studied at the University of Delhi in India. He then earned a master's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in New York.

Even as a student in the 1950s, Salim was very active. He helped start the All-Zanzibar Student Union and was its first Vice President.

Key Roles in Tanzania

Salim Ahmed Salim held many important positions in his home country, Tanzania:

Chief editor of a Zanzibar newspaper and Secretary General of the All-Zanzibar Journalists Organisation from 1963 to 1964.
Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1984.
Prime Minister of Tanzania from 1984 to 1985.
Deputy Prime Minister of Tanzania from 1986 to 1989.
Minister for Defence and National Service from 1986 to 1989.
President of the Julius K. Nyerere Foundation since 2001.
Member of the Central Committee of Tanzania's main political party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi.
Member of the Tanzania Commission for Constitution Review from 2012 to 2014.

Diplomatic Work Around the World

Salim Ahmed Salim has also served in many important diplomatic roles for Tanzania in other countries:

Deputy chief representative of the Zanzibar Office in Havana, Cuba, from 1961 to 1962.
Tanzania's Ambassador to Egypt from 1964 to 1965.
Tanzania's Ambassador to India from 1965 to 1968.
Tanzania's Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China from 1969 to 1970.
Permanent Representative of Tanzania to the United Nations from 1970 to 1980. This meant he was Tanzania's main representative at the UN.
While at the UN, he also served as Tanzania's Ambassador to Cuba and High Commissioner (Ambassador) to Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Secretary-General of the OAU (Organisation of African Unity) from 1989 to 2001. This was a very important role for all of Africa.
African Union special envoy on the Darfur Conflict from 2004 to 2008.

Important Roles at the United Nations

Salim Ahmed Salim held several key positions at the United Nations, an organization where countries work together for peace and cooperation:

In 1972, he was Chairman of the UN Special Mission to Niue.
From 1972 to 1980, he chaired the UN Special Committee on Decolonization. This committee worked to help countries gain independence from colonial rule.
In 1973, he chaired a conference supporting victims of colonialism and Apartheid (a system of racial segregation in South Africa).
In 1975, he chaired the United Nations Security Council's Committee on Sanctions against Southern Rhodesia.
In 1976, he served as President of the United Nations Security Council, one of the most powerful bodies in the UN.
In 1979, he became President of the United Nations General Assembly, which is like being the speaker for all the countries in the UN. He led several important sessions.
In 1981, he was President of the International Conference on Sanctions against South Africa.
In 1984, he was President of the Paris International Conference Against Apartheid.

Campaign for UN Secretary-General

In 1981, Salim Ahmed Salim tried to become the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the top leader of the UN. He ran against Kurt Waldheim, who was already the Secretary-General.

Salim had strong support from African countries and other non-aligned nations. China also supported him and was ready to vote against Waldheim. However, the United States and the Soviet Union did not support Salim. The US thought he was too against their policies, especially regarding South Africa and Palestinian statehood. The Soviet Union also didn't like his activism.

The election was very close. Salim won the first vote, but the United States voted against him, and China voted against Waldheim. This caused a "deadlock" where neither candidate could win. After 16 rounds of voting over six weeks, both Salim and Waldheim decided to step down, allowing other candidates to be chosen.

In 1996, Salim's name came up again for the role. The US wanted him to replace the current Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali. However, France said they would vote against Salim, so he was not nominated.

Other Important Diplomatic Roles

Salim Ahmed Salim has continued to work on important global issues:

Since 2002, he has been the African Water Ambassador, working to raise awareness and support for water issues across Africa.
He chairs the Advisory Board of the Institute of Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa.
He chairs the International Board of Trustees for Africa Humanitarian Action (AHI).
He is a member and chairman of the Advisory Board of Trustees of the Institute of Peace, Leadership and Governance at Africa University.
He is a member of the Panel of the Wise, a group that advises the African Union.

At the international level, Salim serves on several important boards and commissions:

He is a co-chair of the Eminent Persons Group (EPG) on Small Arms and Light Weapons.
He is a board member of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, which supports good leadership in Africa. He also chairs the committee for the Ibrahim Prize, which recognizes great African leaders.
He is a member of the Global Leadership Foundation, an organization that helps promote good governance and solve conflicts by sharing the experience of former leaders.
He is a member of the Board of the South Centre and the Policy Advisory Commission for the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
He is also a member of the Foundation Council for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and an Eminent Member of the Sergio Vieira de Mello Foundation.

Honours and Awards

Salim Ahmed Salim has received many honours and awards for his long and important career.

Honours

	Country	Year
Order of the Star of Africa	Liberia	1980
Order of the United Republic of Tanzania	Tanzania	1985
National Order of a Thousand Hills	Rwanda	1993
Grand Cross of the Order of Devotion	Republic of the Congo	1994
Order of Merit (Grand Officer)	Central African Republic	1994
Medal of Africa	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya	1999
National Order of the Lion (Grand Officer)	Senegal	2000
Order of the Two Niles	Sudan	2001
Ordre El-Athir	Algeria	2001
Order of Mono	Togo	2001
National Order of Mali (Commander)	Mali	2001
Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo (Gold)	South Africa	2004
Order of the Uhuru Torch (Second Class)	Tanzania	2011
Order of Friendship	China	2019
Order of Amilcar Cabral (First Class)	Cape Verde	2023

Awards

In 2014, he received the Son of Africa Award from the African Union.
In 2006, he was given the Martin Luther King "Drum Major for Justice" award.

Honorary Degrees

Salim Ahmed Salim has also received special degrees from universities around the world, recognizing his achievements:

University	Country	Degree	Year
University of the Philippines Los Baños	Philippines	Doctor of Laws	1980
University of Maiduguri	Nigeria	Doctor of Humanities	1983
University of Mauritius	Mauritius	Doctor of Civil Law	1991
University of Khartoum	Sudan	Doctor of Arts in International Affairs	1995
University of Bologna	Italy	Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations	1996
University of Cape Town	South Africa	Doctor of Laws	1998
Addis Ababa University	Ethiopia	Doctor of Laws	2003