Anna Tibaijuka

Early life and education

Tibaijuka was born on 12 October 1950 in Kagabiro, Muleba District, Tanganyika Territory (now a part of Kagera Region of Tanzania) to small-holder farmers. She was initially admitted at the University of Dar-es-Salaam in April 1975 to pursue a Bachelor of Science degree. She received a BSc from Sokoine University of Agriculture and studied agricultural economics at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. She is fluent in English, Swahili, Swedish and French.

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). 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.

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, 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, as the first 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 on Human Settlements Issues in Zimbabwe, with the directive to study the impact of the Zimbabwean government's campaign to evict informal traders and people deemed to be squatting illegally in certain areas, known as Operation Murambatsvina. 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.

Career in politics

In the Tanzanian national election, held October, 2010, she became a Member of Parliament (MP) for CCM, representing the Muleba District in the Kagera Region.[[File:Secretary Mel Martinez with Anna Tibaijuka 207-DP-8416A-Sec0376.jpg|thumb|Secretary Mel Martinez with Anna Tibaijuka 207-DP-8416A-Sec0376]]

Tegeta Escrow Scandal

In December 2014, President of the United Republic of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete sacked Tibaijuka from a post of Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development over her alleged involvement in the US$250 million Tegeta escrow account scandal. Kikwete said he had asked Tibaijuka to "leave room for a new appointee," after she had not shown "due diligence" when receiving US$1 million from James Rugemalira of VIP Engineering and Marketing (VIPEM) linked to the scandal.

Tibaijuka stated that the money was a donation for the "Johansson Girls Education Trust" and that she had forwarded it after receiving it on a personal account.

Reelection 2015

In 2015 she was renominated by 63% of regional CCM members to run again for the parliamentary seat of Muleba South. She won the election and returned to the parliament.

Personal life

She was married to former Tanzanian ambassador Wilson Kamuhabwa Tibaijuka from 1975 until his death in 2000 and they have five children: Muganyizi (born 1976), Kemilembe (born 1979), Kagemulo (born 1986), Kankiza (born 1991), and one adopted child.

Honours and awards

Awards

• 2009: Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development
• 2016: Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa UN Habitat Award for Sustainable Development

Honorary academic awards

References

References

1. "Member of Parliament CV". Parliament of Tanzania.
2. Williams, Donald C.. (2012). "Global Urban Growth: A Reference Handbook". ABC-CLIO.
3. (2004). "Member Register". [[Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry]].
4. "Former Executive Director". UN-Habitat.
5. (20 June 2005). "Secretary-General appoints special envoy to review Zimbabwe's housing evictions". UN News Centre.
6. (4 September 2010). "Tibaijuka walks into real politics". Daily Nation.
7. "Archived copy".
8. (15 October 2010). "Former Executive Director of UN-HABITAT, Professor Anna Tibaijuka, to Chair the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council". PR Newswire.
9. (14 May 2004). "Commission for Africa Is Launched by PM Tony Blair: Panel Discusses Brandt and Sets Development Agenda". GPF.
10. (Dec 23, 2014). "Tanzania's Kikwete sacks Tibaijuka amid corruption row". BBC News.
11. [http://www.tanzaniatoday.co.tz/news/siwezi-kujiuzulu-kwa-fedha-ya-tegeta-escrow---prof-tibaijuka Tibaijuka press conference 18 Dec 2014] {{Webarchive. link. (21 February 2017 , report on michuzi blog)
12. [http://www.annatibaijuka.org/?p=1835 Prof Anna K.Tibaijuka ashinda kwa kishindo kura za maoni za chama cha Mapinduzi jimbo la Muleba Kusini], report on personal webpage
13. [http://allafrica.com/stories/201508040619.html Tanzania: Kagasheki, Tibaijuka Outshine Opponents in Preferential Elections]. report by Tanzania Daily News on 4 August 2015, as per allafrica.com newssite, lookup in February 2017
14. "Prof Anna Tibaijuka defends her seat as MP of Muleba south constituency in Tanzania Parliament in the 2015 Tanzania Election".
15. (2010-09-05). "Dr Anna Tibaijuka calls it a day".
16. (2009). "Award Winner 2009". Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development.
17. (24 September 2016). "Former WSSCC Chair receives award for Sustainable Development". WSSCC.
18. (7 November 2016). "List of McGill Honorary Degree Recipients from 1935 to Fall 2016". [[McGill University]].
19. (2016). "Heriot-Watt University Honorary Graduates". [[Heriot-Watt University]].
20. (14 March 2006). "Dr Anna Tibaijuka, UN Under Secretary-General, to be awarded UCL honorary degree". [[University College London.
21. (27 July 2007). "Address by Dr. Tibaijuka on being conferred an Honorary Degree by SABS". [[United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
22. Marek Bryx. (20 November 2009). "Laudacja z okazji nadania tytułu doktora honoris causa SGH pani Annie Kajmulo Tibaijuka".
23. (12 February 2010). "Catholic university fetes UN-HABITAT Executive Director". [[United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
24. (31 December 2010). "Strategy of "going out and taking in" implemented". [[Tongji University]].