Diplomacy & Public Service
Peerless
Salim Ahmed Salim
born 1942
Led the Organisation of African Unity for twelve years, and was blocked from the UN's top job by a veto
Peerless is level 1 of 4 in the Tanzania Hall of Fame: changed the field itself. Tell the country's story without them and the story breaks. See how the levels work.
Why they are here
President of the United Nations General Assembly at thirty-seven, Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity for twelve years, and the candidate the United States vetoed sixteen times to keep out of the UN Secretary-General's office in 1981.
Salim Ahmed Salim was born on Zanzibar and entered diplomacy immediately after the revolution, serving as Tanzania's ambassador to Egypt, India, China and then the United Nations while still in his twenties.
In 1979 he was elected President of the UN General Assembly. In 1981 he was Africa's candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations and led the balloting, but the United States vetoed him in round after round — sixteen in all — until the Security Council turned to a compromise candidate. He went on to serve as Tanzania's prime minister and defence minister, and from 1989 to 2001 as Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity, where he built its first machinery for conflict prevention and management and pushed the continental body towards intervening in wars rather than watching them.
In 1979 he was elected President of the UN General Assembly. In 1981 he was Africa's candidate for Secretary-General of the United Nations and led the balloting, but the United States vetoed him in round after round — sixteen in all — until the Security Council turned to a compromise candidate. He went on to serve as Tanzania's prime minister and defence minister, and from 1989 to 2001 as Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity, where he built its first machinery for conflict prevention and management and pushed the continental body towards intervening in wars rather than watching them.
- Britannica — Salim Ahmed Salim
- Wikipedia — Salim Ahmed Salim
- African Union — Former OAU Secretaries-General
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