Anna Tibaijuka

Hon. Professor
Anna Tibaijuka
MP
Minister of Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Developments
In office
28 November 2010 – 22 December 2014
President Jakaya Kikwete
Preceded by John Chiligati
Succeeded by William Lukuvi
Member of Parliament
for Muleba South
Assumed office
November 2010
Preceded by Wilson Masilingi
Executive director of UN–HABITAT
In office
March 2006 – 2010
Succeeded by Joan Clos i Matheu
Personal details
Born (1950-10-12) 12 October 1950
Kagabiro, Tanganyika
Nationality Tanzanian
Political party CCM
Spouse(s) Wilson (m. 1975–2000)
Children
Alma mater Sokoine University (BSc)
SLU (DSc)
Awards Gothenburg Award
Website annatibaijuka.org

Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka (born 12 October 1950) is a Tanzanian CCM politician and Member of Parliament for Muleba South constituency since 2010. She served as the Minister of Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Developments from 2010 to 2014.[1]

She is also a former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). Until her resignation in 2010 to run for political office in Tanzania, she was the second highest ranking African woman in the UN system.

Early life and education

Born in Tanzania, Tibaijuka studied agricultural economics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala and is fluent in English, Swahili, Swedish and French. She is the widow of the former Tanzanian ambassador Wilson Tibaijuka, who died in 2000. She is the second highest ranking African woman in the UN after Dr Asha-Rose Migiro, the deputy UN secretary general (who is also a Tanzanian) In October 2010 she became MP for CCM for Muleba District, Kagera Region, in the national election.

Academic career

From 1993 to 1998, Tibaijuka was associate professor of economics at the University of Dar es Salaam. During this period, she was also a member of the Tanzanian government delegation to several United Nations summits, including the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996); the World Food Summit (Rome 1996); the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995) and the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). At the World Food Summit in Rome, she was elected coordinator for Eastern Africa in the Network for Food Security, Trade and Sustainable Development (COASAD). Mrs. Tibaijuka has also been a board member of UNESCO's International Scientific Advisory Board since November 1997. She is a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry.[2]

United Nations career

Executive director of UN-HABITAT

In September 2000 she was appointed by Secretary-General Kofi Annan as executive director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements. During her first two years in office, Mrs. Tibaijuka oversaw major reforms which resulted in the United Nations General Assembly upgrading the Centre to programme status and renaming it the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). Tibaijuka was elected by the General Assembly to her first four-year term as head of the new agency in July 2002 and was given the rank of under-secretary-general, the first—and only—African woman to reach this level within the UN system.

Special envoy of the secretary general

In June 2005, the secretary general appointed Tibaijuka as his special envoy to study the impact of the Zimbabwean government's campaign (known as Operation Murambatsvina) to evict informal traders and people deemed to be squatting illegally in certain areas. As the evictions were concentrated on areas which had traditionally strongly supported the oppositional Movement for Democratic Change, many commentators believed the campaign was politically motivated. Although this was denied by the Zimbabwean government, there was strong international criticism.

Tibaijuka concluded her report saying that “while purporting to target illegal dwellings and structures and to clamp down on alleged illicit activities, [the operation] was carried out in an indiscriminate and unjustified manner, with indifference to human suffering”.

Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council

The steering committee of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council elected Anna Tibaijuka as its new chair on 19 October 2010. Tibaijuka succeeded Roberto Lenton, whose second and final term of office ended in March 2011.

Blair Commission and Commission on Africa

In 2004 the British prime minister, Tony Blair, invited Tibaijuka to be a member of the Commission for Africa, which he established to generate ideas and action to accelerate and sustain Africa's growth and development. The Commission, comprising 16 internationally known figures, completed its report in March 2005.

Tegeta Escrow Scandal

In December 2014, President of the United Republic of Tanzania Dr. Jakaya Kikwete sacked Tibaijuka from a post of Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development over her alleged involvement in the USD 250 million Tegeta escrow account scandal. Kikwete said he had asked Tibaijuka to “leave room for a new appointee,” after she received USD 1 million from James Rugemalira of VIP Engineering and Marketing (VIPEM) linked to the scandal.[3]

Honours and awards

Awards

2009: Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development[4]

Honorary academic awards

Year University Country Honour
2002 McGill University  Canada Doctor of Science in environment[5]
2004 Heriot-Watt University  United Kingdom Doctor of Science in construction[6]
2006 University College London  United Kingdom Doctor of Science in engineering[7]
2007 Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology  Kenya honorary degree in urban design[8]
2009 Warsaw School of Economics  Poland Honoris causa in economics[9]
2010 Catholic University of Eastern Africa  Kenya honorary degree in community development and peace[10]
2010 Tongji University  China Honorary professor[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Member of Parliament CV". Parliament of Tanzania. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  2. ↑ "Member Register". Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry. 2004. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30585980
  4. ↑ "Award Winner 2009". Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development. 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  5. ↑ "Alphabetical List of Honorary Degree Recipients" (PDF). McGill University. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. ↑ "Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates" (PDF). Heriot-Watt University. 2012. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "Dr Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under Secretary-General, to be awarded UCL honorary degree". UCL. 14 March 2006. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  8. ↑ "Address by Dr. Tibaijuka on being conferred an Honorary Degree by SABS" (PDF). UN–HABITAT. 27 July 2007. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Doktorat horis causa Prof. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka" (in Polish). 26 November 2009. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "Acceptance statement of Prof. Tibaijuka for the award of an honorary degree by the CUEA". UN–HABITAT. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  11. ↑ "Dr. Anna Tibaijuka appointed honorary professor". Tongji University. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2013.

External links

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