NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG

Abdul Samad Minty, the new Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Minty held a number of concurrent positions, including: Deputy Director-General, Ambassador and Special Representative for Disarmament and NEPAD, South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Pretoria; Personal Representative of the President on the NEPAD Steering Committee; South African Governor, Board of Governors, of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (since 1995); Chairperson of the South African Council for the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (since 1995); Member of the Board of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation; Representative of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation on the South African National Conventional Arms Control Committee; and Vice-Convenor of the Council of the South Centre, Geneva.

From 2007 to 2008 Mr. Minty served as Chairperson of the Nuclear Suppliers Group; in 2006 he was President of the International Atomic Energy Agency General Conference; and from 1995 to 2004 he was Deputy Director-General responsible for Multilateral Affairs in the South African Department of Foreign Affairs. Prior to that Mr. Minty was the acting Director-General of the South African Department of Foreign Affairs for three separate periods, totaling over two years. From 2001 to 2002 he was a member of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters and from 1995 to 2006 he was the Chairperson of the South African Council for Space Affairs. From 1979 to 1994 he served as the Director of the World Campaign against Military and Nuclear Collaboration with South Africa in Oslo and from 1962 to 1995 he was Honorary Secretary of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement in London.

Highlights of Mr. Minty’s career include his playing a significant role in South Africa’s multilateral foreign policy development as well as the transformation of the Department of Foreign Affairs after the first democratic elections of 1994; his involvement in international negotiations aimed at banning anti-personnel landmines and the illicit proliferation of small arms; and his close work with the African Group and Non-Aligned Members of the International Atomic Energy Agency over South Africa’s nuclear program and attended annual General Conferences of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna to lobby for sanctions against the Apartheid Regime. Mr. Minty has written extensively for the United Nations and various anti-apartheid and solidarity movements on topics related to the fight against apartheid, human rights, disarmament and the arms embargo against South Africa.

Mr. Minty received Bachelors and Masters degrees in International Relations from University College London in 1968 and 1969 respectively, served as a research fellow at the Richardson Institute for Conflict and Peace Research in London immediately following graduation from 1969 to 1975 and later served as a senior research fellow at the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo from 1994 to 1995. Mr. Minty was born on 31 October 1939 and is married.


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CR11/021E