Dr. Salim Ahmed Salim, started his diplomatic career at the age of 22, when serving as Ambassador of Zanzibar to Egypt, which made him the youngest African ambassador at the time. Barely four months into his post, Dr Salim became the First Ambassador of the United Republic of Tanzania and Zanzibar to Egypt. He then became High Commissioner of Tanzania to India (1965-1968), Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (1969) and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York (1970). Whilst serving at the UN he was also accredited as Tanzania’s Ambassador to Cuba and High Commissioner to Guyana, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago (1970-1980).
Dr Salim held a number of important UN posts, including Chairman of the UN Security Council Committee on Sanctions against Rhodesia (1975), President of the UN Security Council (1976), President of the 34th session of the UN General Assembly (1979), of the 6th and 7th Emergency Special Sessions of the General Assembly (1989), and 11th Special Session of the General Assembly (1980). He was also Chairman of the UN Special Committee on Decolonisation (1972-1980), which played a key role in steering many colonies and non-self-governing territories to full sovereignty and independence.
After leaving the UN in 1980, Dr Salim returned to Tanzania and was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs (1980-1984). In April 1984 he was appointed Prime Minister, a position he held until November 1985. He then served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and National Service up until his election as Secretary-General of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1989.
Dr Salim’s tenure at the OAU was for a record three terms, up until 2001, during which time as Africa’s most senior diplomat he displayed a high degree of skill and diplomacy in addressing Africa’s problems, and oversaw the OAU’s transformation into the Africa Union.
