18 Facts About Amara Essy

Amara Essy was an Ivorian diplomat and politician.

Amara Essy received a bachelor's degree in public law and a higher education diploma in public law as well.

Amara Essy held a diploma from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Switzerland.

Amara Essy began his professional career in 1970 as head of economic relations in the office of technical and economic cooperation.

Amara Essy served as counselor of the permanent mission of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations in New York from 1973 to 1975.

Amara Essy later served as permanent representative of Cote d'Ivoire to the European office of the UN in Geneva and to UNIDO in Vienna, Austria from October 1975 to September 1978.

Amara Essy served as president of the Group of 77 in Geneva from 1977 to 1978 and was later named ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Switzerland.

Amara Essy was the Permanent Representative of Cote d'Ivoire to the United Nations from 1981 to 1990, and in January 1990 he was President of the United Nations Security Council.

Amara Essy was replaced in the transitional government named on 4 January 2000.

Amara Essy took office as secretary-general in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 17September 2001.

Amara Essy served in that position until 9July 2002, when the OAU became the African Union and he was appointed interim Chairman of the Commission of the African Union.

Amara Essy was initially a candidate for the post of chairman of the commission at the AU's July 2003 summit in Maputo, Mozambique, but he withdrew prior to the vote, leaving Alpha Oumar Konare, the former president of Mali, as the only candidate.

Amara Essy remained interim chairman of the commission until he was succeeded by Konare on 16 September 2003.

In 2009, Amara Essy was appointed the African Union's envoy to Madagascar, to assess that country's political crisis, and in 2012 he chaired the UN High Level Panel for the Algerian parliamentary elections.

Amara Essy finally gave up his candidacy, shortly before the election on 7 October 2015.

Amara Essy held the title of Honorary Professor of the New England Centre for International Studies at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut.

Amara Essy died on 8April 2025 at his home in Abidjan, at the age of 80.

Amara Essy had been awarded numerous decorations as part of his diplomatic service, including the National Order of the Ivory Coast, the Grand Cross of the Lion of Senegal, the Grand Cross of Rio Branco of Brazil and the National Order of San Carlos of Colombia.