Profession: UN Secretary-General
Biography: In 1992 Boutros Boutros-Ghali became the first Arab to serve as United Nations Secretary General. Prior to this he had had a long career in Egyptian politics, diplomacy and law. In 1978 he played a key role in the Camp David agreement between Jimmy Carter, Egypt and Israel.
Boutros Ghali's term as UN Secretary General remains a controversial one. He and the UN were criticized for the relief mission in Somalia in 1993 that went badly wrong and resulted in the death of 15 American soldiers. He called the UN's inability to stop the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 their greatest failure. He was also condemned for opposing NATO intervention in Bosnia, particularly by the US and its UN ambassador Madeleine Albright, who vetoed his appointment to a second term.
Born: November 14, 1922
Birthplace: Cairo, Egypt
Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Dog
Star Sign: Scorpio
Died: February 16, 2016 (aged 93)
Historical Events
- 1978-09-17 Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Camp David Accords, frameworks for peace in the Middle East and between Egypt and Israel
- 1992-01-01 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt begins his term as the 6th Secretary-General of the United Nations
- 1992-06-30 South African ANC President Nelson Mandela meets with UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali at Dakar
Biographies and Sources
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali - United Nations
Ban Ki-moon
Sergey Lavrov
Vyacheslav Molotov
António Guterres
Kurt Waldheim
U Thant