Boutros Boutros-Ghali Biography

(Egyptian Statesman and Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996)

Birthday: November 14, 1922 (Scorpio)

Born In: Cairo, Egypt

Boutros Boutros-Ghali was an Egyptian statesman, diplomat, scholar and a lawyer, who served the ‘United Nations’ as its 6th Secretary-General. As the UN Secretary-General he strived to re-establish the position of the ‘United Nations’ with regard to international affairs. The ‘United Nations’ dealt with various international issues such as the ‘Rwandan Genocide’, the continuing ‘Angolan Civil War’ and disintegration of Yugoslavia during his tenure. A Ph.D. in international law, Ghali is respected around the world for his remarkable professional stint as a lawyer. He was a professor at ‘Cairo University’ and visited several institutes and universities around the world delivering lectures in international affairs and international law. He served Egypt as its Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and also remained Deputy Prime Minister. He served the ‘Organisation internationale de la Francophonie’ as it’s first Secretary-General. He chaired the board of ‘South Centre’, an intergovernmental organisation that acted as a think tank for developing nations. He was a proponent for the ‘Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly’, an endeavour to authorize representation of citizens at the ‘United Nations’. He remained member of the ‘Arab Socialist Union’ party prior to 1978, the ‘National Democratic Party’ from 1978 to 2011 and thereafter an independent politician till 2016.
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Quick Facts

Died At Age: 93

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Leia Maria Boutros-Ghali

siblings: Michel Boutros-Ghali, Raouf Boutros-Ghali

Diplomats Egyptian Men

Height: 1.78 m

Died on: February 16, 2016

place of death: Cairo, Egypt

Notable Alumni: Sciences Po, Cairo University

City: Cairo, Egypt

More Facts

education: Cairo University, University Of Paris, Sciences Po

  • 1

    Where was Boutros Boutros-Ghali born?

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali was born in Cairo, Egypt on November 14, 1922.
  • 2

    What was Boutros Boutros-Ghali's role in the United Nations?

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996.
  • 3

    What were Boutros Boutros-Ghali's major accomplishments as Secretary-General of the United Nations?

    Some of Boutros Boutros-Ghali's major accomplishments include his efforts towards conflict resolution in Somalia, Bosnia, and Rwanda, as well as his promotion of sustainable development and human rights.
  • 4

    What led to Boutros Boutros-Ghali's controversial relationship with the United States during his time as Secretary-General?

    Boutros Boutros-Ghali's disagreements with the United States over various issues, including peacekeeping operations and budgetary matters, led to a strained relationship during his tenure as UN Secretary-General.
  • 5

    How did Boutros Boutros-Ghali contribute to international diplomacy after his time at the United Nations?

    After leaving the UN, Boutros Boutros-Ghali continued to be involved in international diplomacy, serving in various advisory roles and advocating for peace and conflict resolution.
Childhood & Early Life
He was born on November 14, 1922, in Cairo to Yusuf Butros Ghali and Safela Mikhail Sharubim. He was a scion of an affluent Coptic Christian family. His father was a former Finance Minister of Egypt while his paternal grandfather Boutros Ghali was a former Prime Minister of Egypt and his maternal grandfather, Mikhail Sharubim was a well known historian and public servant.
In 1946 he completed his graduation from ‘Cairo University’.
In 1949 he earned a doctorate in International Law from ‘University of Paris. Same year he completed his diploma from ‘Science Po’ in International Relations.
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Career
For three decades from 1949 to 1979 he served at the ‘Cairo University’ as Professor of International Law and International Relations. During this time he travelled and delivered lectures in several institutes and universities including in the US, Europe, Africa, Middle East and India. Many of his scholarly books were published in French.
From 1954 to 1955, he was associated with ‘Columbia University’ as a ‘Fulbright Research Scholar’.
From 1963 to 1964 he served ‘Centre of Research of the Hague Academy of International Law’ as a Director.
He was a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Law, Paris University, during 1967-1968.
His career in politics shaped up during the tenure of President Anwar El Sadat. From 1974 to 1977 he was a ‘Central Committee of the Arab Socialist Union’ member.
He became the Honorary Rector of the ‘Graduate Institute of Peace Studies’.
In 1975 he was made the President of the ‘Centre of Political and Strategic Studies’.
From 1977 to early 1991 he remained the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Egypt. He played an important role in the peace agreements between the President of Egypt, Anwar El Sadat and the Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin.
In September 1978, Ghali participated as an Egyptian delegate at the peace summit at Camp David in the US.
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In 1980 he was inducted in the ‘African Society of Political Studies’ as its President.
Linda Melvern, an investigative journalist mentions that during his tenure as Foreign Minister in 1990, Ghali gave approval for a covert arms sale worth $26 million to Rwanda government.
Thereafter he served as the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for several months.
In May 1991, he was inducted as Deputy Prime Minister for International Affairs by the then Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
On January 1, 1992 he took charge as the 6th Secretary-General of the ‘United Nations’ (UN) after being elected in 1991 and held the position till December 31, 1996. He made a call to all nations to realise the 1945 pledge of the ‘UN’, of an international political system.
He considered the ‘UN’ and its agencies to be apt for advocating global peace, economic development and security by way of international cooperation.
He wrote a report for the ‘UN’, ‘An Agenda for Peace’ in 1992 that proposed ways he felt the ‘UN’ can adopt to handle conflict in the post-Cold War World.
According to some Somalis, Ghali was responsible for crisis in Somalia. They believed that the July 12, 1993 US helicopter attack on a peace initiative meeting of the clan leaders of Habr Gidr (the meeting was planned by retired U.S. Admiral Jonathan Howe, the then leader of the UN Mission in Mogadishu) was done on Ghali’s wishes. The incident marred peace initiatives and led to the October 3-4 ‘Battle of Mogadishu’ that year.
When the ‘UN’ failed to respond to the ‘Rwandan Genocide’ in 1994, that claimed over a million lives, he was greatly censured. He also failed to gather support in the ‘UN’ to intervene in the ‘Angolan Civil War’ that was continuing since 1975 with a few intervals in-between.
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Another critical issue that cropped up during his tenure as Secretary-General was handling the crisis of the Yugoslav Wars.
The 50th UN anniversary celebration was led by Ghali in 1995.
In 1996 a resolution was sponsored by ten ‘UN Security Council’ members advocating for a second five year term for Ghali as the Secretary-General, but was dismissed by the US, a permanent member of the council. Thus he became the first such person who did not hold the position for a second term.
On November 16, 1997, he became the first Secretary-General of ‘La Francophonie’ and held office till December 31, 2002.
He served the ‘South Centre’ from 2003 to 2006, as chairman of its board. It is an intergovernmental organisation that acts as a think tank for developing nations.
The ‘Hague Academy of International Law’ made him the President of its ‘Curatorium Administrative Council’.
From 2003 to 2012 he remained the Director of ‘Egyptian National Council of Human Rights’.
He was an advocate for the ‘Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly’, an initiative to initialise representation of citizens at the ‘United Nations’. In the 2007 initiative of the campaign he was one of the early signatories.
He also remained jury member of the ‘Foundation Chirac’ for its annual ‘Conflict Prevention Prize’ from 2009 to 2015.
He wrote two memoirs, ‘Egypt's road to Jerusalem: a diplomat's story of the struggle for peace in the Middle East’ and ‘Unvanquished: A US-U.N. Saga’ that were published in 1997 and 1999 respectively.
Personal Life & Legacy
He was married to Leia Maria Boutros-Ghali. She was raised in an Egyptian Jewish family in Alexandria.
On February 16, 2016 he died in a Cairo hospital where he was being treated for a broken leg or pelvis.
Facts About Boutros Boutros-Ghali
Boutros-Ghali was known for his sense of humor and quick wit, which endeared him to many of his colleagues and counterparts.
He was a polyglot, fluent in multiple languages including Arabic, English, French, and Russian, which helped him navigate diplomatic circles effectively.
Boutros-Ghali was a prolific writer, authoring numerous books and articles on international relations and diplomacy throughout his career.

See the events in life of Boutros Boutros-Ghali in Chronological Order

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