Nefertiti TSHIBANDA, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been appointed representative of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) to the African Union, in Addis Ababa, while Zahra KAMIL ALI (Djibouti), previously OIF representative to the African Union, has been appointed OIF representative for North America (Quebec)
On Monday, October 24, OIF Secretary General Louise Mushikiwabo appointed three new representatives of the International Organization of La Francophonie. These new appointments are also accompanied by a transfer.
Nefertiti TSHIBANDA, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been appointed OIF representative to the African Union in Addis Ababa; Ambassador Edgar DOERIG, from Switzerland, has been appointed OIF representative for Asia Pacific (Hanoi); Lévon AMIRJANYAN (Armenia) has been appointed OIF representative for the Middle East (Beirut); finally, Zahra KAMIL ALI (Djibouti), previously OIF representative to the African Union, has been appointed OIF representative for North America (Quebec).
These high-level appointments, made with respect to gender balance and geographic diversity, explains the OIF, further strengthen the strategy to develop the OIF’s influence on the international scene. “They are part of the profound transformation and modernization undertaken by the Secretary General of La Francophonie since her arrival at the head of the Organization in 2019. They also reflect the importance she attaches to the quality of cooperation with member states and governments and with partner intergovernmental organizations, for more concrete results on the ground for the benefit of the people, “says the organization.
To date, the OIF’s external network includes four representations to international organizations: the United Nations (New York and Geneva), the European Union (Brussels) and the African Union (Addis Ababa) and nine representations to the major regions of the Francophone space: Asia-Pacific (Hanoi), Central and Eastern Europe (Bucharest), Indian Ocean (Antananarivo), Central Africa (Libreville), West Africa (Lomé), North Africa (Tunis), the Caribbean – Latin America (Port-au-Prince), the Middle East (Beirut) and North America (Quebec City).
The OIF has 88 states and governments: 54 members, 7 associate members and 27 observers.
Current Delegate General for La Francophonie in the DRC
Néfertiti Tshibanda is currently the General Delegate to La Francophonie in the Ministry of International Cooperation, Regional Integration and La Francophonie of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She is also the national correspondent of the DRC to the OIF. She spent nearly 12 years in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie as a researcher, advisor and then as coordinator of the Minister’s office. In these positions, she actively participated in the promotion of the country’s economic interests, the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation relations and the negotiation of peace agreements.
A close collaborator of successive ministers, Néfertiti Tshibanda has participated in the revival of joint commissions between the DRC and the various partner governments to strengthen bilateral cooperation, leading to the signing of several cooperation agreements. As such, she was part of the government delegation that took part in the 2008 negotiations with the rebel movement CDNP that led to the signing of the peace agreement of March 23, 2009 and the 2013 negotiations with the rebel movement, M23, which led to the Addis Ababa framework agreement. In addition, she participated in the organization in Kinshasa of the SADC summit in 2009, the ECCAS summit in 2010, the Francophonie summit in 2012 and the COMESA summit in 2014.
A politician, women’s rights activist and mother of two, Nefertiti Tshibanda lived in Europe and the United States before returning to the DRC, where she completed her academic training in political science and international relations.
She is vice-president of the “International Movement of Dynamic Women of Africa” and president of the “International Foundation of African Women for Development”. This year she launched the women’s magazine FAME.
Zahra KAMIL ALI, former Representative to the African Union
Zahra KAMIL ALI, a Djiboutian national, has recognized experience in the fields of peace and security as well as in the management of electoral processes; experience acquired in various positions in the civil service of the Republic of Djibouti and the International Organization of the Francophonie.
From 1996 to 2003, at the Presidency of the Republic of Djibouti, Zahra KAMIL ALI was head of the legal department of the General Secretariat of the Government and legal advisor to the President of the Republic, and from 2001 to 2003, she was also the Government Commissioner to the Administrative Litigation Council.
In 2003, she joined the permanent representation of the OIF to the African Union in Addis Ababa as Chargée de mission. In 2010, she was appointed Program Specialist at the Directorate of Political Affairs and Democratic Governance, based in Paris.
These various positions, we explain, have allowed her to develop expertise in managing political transitions and accompanying electoral processes to emerge from crisis, to perfect her knowledge of the political and institutional systems of many French-speaking countries, especially in Africa, and to establish strategic partnerships with various institutions and national, international and civil society organizations.
Zahra KAMIL ALI holds a master’s degree in private law from the Faculty of Law and Political Science of the University Robert Schuman – Strasbourg III, France. She strengthened her academic background in public management at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP) in Quebec City, Canada and in public international law at the Academy of International Law in The Hague, The Netherlands.
Zahra KAMIL ALI speaks French, English, Arabic and Somali.
