Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF RWANDA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

The new Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations, Joseph Nsengimana, presented his credentials today to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Before this appointment, Mr. Nsengimana has been Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Rwanda since 2000.  Previously, he successively held the positions of Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Culture (1994-1997), of Minister of Public Service and Labour (1997-1999), and Minister for Lands, Human Resettlement and Environmental Protection (1999-2000).

At the same time, Mr. Nsengimana was a manager of several companies.  President of Copenhague’s Board of Directors since 2005, he held the same position at COGEAR from 2000 to 2005, and at the Rwandan Medical Insurance Company from 2002 to 2004.

He also held several academic positions from 1978 to 1994, at the National University of Rwanda, including that of Associate Professor.  Mr. Nsengimana has also directed numerous research projects, scientific publications and student dissertations.  Finally, he has participated in consultations on the ideologies of the countries of the Great Lakes Region and on the gacaca jurisdictions in Rwanda.

Mr. Nsengimana holds a doctoral degree in comparative literature from the University of Limoges in France, with distinction.  He also has a postgraduate certificate in national and comparative literatures from the same university, and a Bachelor of Arts in French language and literature from the University of Zaïre, Lubumbashi campus.

Born on 11 May 1950, Mr. Nsengimana is married and the father of five children.

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