| Martti Ahtisaari served
as president of the Republic of Finland from Mar. 1,
1994 to Feb. 29, 2000. Upon leaving office, Mr. Ahtisaari
took on the co-chairmanship of the New York-based EastWest
Institute and the chairmanship of the Brussels-based
International Crisis Group. He is a member of the joint
advisers’ group for the Open Society Institute
and the Soros Foundations, which operates in various
countries. He also serves as chairman of the Balkan
Children and Youth Foundation and Global Action Council
of the International Youth Foundation, as well as of
the international board of the War-Torn Societies Project.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral
Assistance (IDEA). Other post-presidential activities
have included inspection of the IRA's arms dumps with
fellow inspector Cyril Ramaphosa, and the drafting of
a report on the human rights and political situation
in Austria as a member of a group of "three wise
men".
He joined the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
in 1965, holding various posts in the Ministry's Bureau
for Technical cooperation from 1965 to 1972, and serving
as Assistant Director from 1971 to 1972. He served as
Deputy Director in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs,
in the Department for International Development Co-operation
between 1972 and 1973. He was a member of the Government
Advisory Committee on Trade and Industrialisation Affairs
of Developing Countries from 1971 to 1973.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Ahtisaari
served as Ambassador of Finland to the United Republic
of Tanzania (1973-1976) and was also accredited to Zambia,
Somalia and Mozambique (1975-1976). He served as a member
of the Senate of the UN Institute for Namibia between
1975 and 1976. Mr. Ahtisaari served as United Nations
Commissioner for Namibia from 1977 to 1981. He was appointed
Special Representative of the Secretary General for
Namibia in July 1978.
From 1984 to 1986 he served as Under-Secretary of State
in charge of International Development Cooperation in
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, as well
as Special Representative of the Secretary General for
Namibia. He was Governor for Finland in the African
Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and in
the Inter-American Development Bank, as well as in the
International Fund for Agricultural Development. Mr.
Ahtisaari was during that period Chairman of the Board
of Directors for the Finnish Industrialization Fund
for developing countries.
Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar appointed
Ahtisaari as Under-Secretary General for Administration
and Management, effective Jan. 1, 1987. He retained
his functions as Special Representative of the Secretary
General for Namibia and led the UN operation (UNTAG)
in Namibia (1989-1990). Mr. Ahtisaari’s position
as Under-Secretary General ended on the 30th of June
1991.
As of Jul. 1, 1991, he served as Secretary of State
in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in Helsinki.
From the beginning of September 1992 to the 15th of
April 1993, he was Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina
Working Group of the International Conference on the
former Yugoslavia. Beginning Jul. 1, 1993, for a period
of four months, he served as Special Adviser to the
International Conference on the former Yugoslavia and
to the UN Secretary General's Special Representative
for former Yugoslavia.
A citizen of Finland, Mr. Ahtisaari was born on Jun.
23, 1937. He is married and has a son.
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