MACHIVENYIKA TOBIAS MAPURANGA OF ZIMBABWE ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF FOURTH COMMITTEE
Press Release
BIO/3106*
GA/SPD/105
MACHIVENYIKA TOBIAS MAPURANGA OF ZIMBABWE ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF FOURTH COMMITTEE
19970916 Biographical Note Machivenyika Tobias Mapuranga, Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe to the United Nations, was today elected Chairman of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) for the fifty-second session of the General Assembly. He has been his country's Permanent Representative since May 1996.From 1995 until his current appointment, Mr. Mapuranga served as Deputy Permanent Secretary for Political and Economic Affairs in Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Prior to that, he served as an Assistant Secretary- General in several departments of the Organization of African Unity (OAU), including Political Affairs; Finance Administration and Conferences; and Education, Social Affairs, Culture, Health and Science.
Mr. Mapuranga served as Special Representative of the OAU Secretary- General to Rwanda from 1992 to 1995, and in that capacity led the OAU delegation to broker the Arusha peace talks which led to the signing of the Arusha Peace Agreement on Rwanda. From 1986 to 1987, Mr. Mapuranga was Deputy Secretary of Political and Economic Affairs in Zimbabwe's Ministry of Foreign Affairs after serving as High Commissioner of Zimbabwe to Zambia.
Mr. Mapuranga graduated with honours from the University of London in 1970 and received a Diploma in Development Studies from Oxford University in 1972. He obtained a Master's degree from the University of Edinburgh and a Ph.D in African history from the University of London in 1980.
Born on 22 March 1947, Mr. Mapuranga is married and has five children.
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_----------_ * This supersedes Press Release BIO/3016 of 3 May 1996.