|
FEMALE
MINISTERS OF
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
CURRENTLY IN OFFICE
Apart from the women who have been Foreign Ministers a large number of
women have been deputy ministers. They can be found in the various
country-entries in
Women in governments by country
also see
Female Foreign Ministers
|
 |
1999- Dr. Nkosazana C. Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa
|
|
1994-99 Minister of Health (b. 1949-). |
|
|
1999-2000 and 2001- Dodo Aïchatou Mindaoudou, Niger |
|
1995-96 she was Minister of Social Development, Population and
Women. (b. 1959-). |
|
 |
2000-04 Bentia Ferrero-Waldner, Austria
2004- Commissioner of External Relations, European Union |
|
A
career diplomat, 1993 she was Minister-Counsellor and Assistant
Chief of Protocol of the Foreign Ministry, 1994-1995 Assistant
Secretary General of the United Nation and Chief of Protocol
1995-2000 Minister of State of Foreign Affairs. In 2000 she was
Chairperson of OSCE and Presidential Candidate 2004. (b. 1948-). |
|
 |
2003- Micheline Calmy-Rey, Switzerland |
|
She is former President of the Socialist Party of Génève, she was
President of the Grand Conseil of Génève 1993, Councillor of
Finance 1997-2002, Vice-President of the Government 2000-01 and
President of the Government 2001-02. Federal Vice-President in 2006.
(b. 1945-). |
|
|
2004- Dr. Ursula Plassnik, Austria
|
|
Chief of Cabinet of Federal Chancellor Wolfang Schüssel 1997-2004
and Ambassador to Swizerland in 2004, Chairperson of the Concil for
General Affairs and External Relations (Council of Ministers) in the
European Union in 2006. (b. 1956-). |
|
 |
2005- Condoleezza Rice, United States of America |
|
She was Director of Soviet and East European Affairs in the National
Security Council 1989-93. Professor of International Affairs of
Stanford University. 2001-05 Cabinet Member and National Security
Advisor.
(b. 1954-) |
|
|
2005-
Rita Kieber-Beck, Liectenstein |
|
Vize-regierungschefin or Deputy Head of the Government, councillor of
Education, Traffic, Communication and Justice 2001-05. (b. 1958-).
|
|
|
2005- Antoinette
Batumubwira, Burundi |
|
Also in charge of International Cooperation. Her husband, Jean-Marie
Ngendahayo, was Minister of Foreign Affairs 1993-95 and of Interior in
2005. Lived in exile in Finland during the civil war. |
|
|
2005- Lygia
Kraag-Keteldijk, Suriname |
|
Director of Political Affairs in the Cabinet of the President 2000-05.
(b. 1941-). |
|
|
2006- Tzipi Livni, Israel |
|
2001 Minister of Regional Cooperation, 2001-02 Minister without
Portfolio in the Prime Minister's Office for Information, 2002-03
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Since 2003 Minister of
Immigrant Absorption
2004-05 Minister of Construction and Housing, 2004-05 Acting Minister
of Justice and Minister of Justice from 2005-06 and 2006-07. She was MK for Likud
until 2005, when she joined Kadima, a new party formed by Ariel Sharon.
Her
father was also a MK. (1958-) |
|
|
2006- Dora Bakoyannis, Greece |
|
Chief of staff of her father, Konstantine Mitsotakis, when he became
leader of the New Democracy party from 1984 and later Prime Minister.
After her husband, Pavlos Bakoyannis, was killed in 1989, she was
elected to the Parliament. 1990-91 Deputy Minister of State adjunct to
the Premier Minister, 1992 Deputy Minister of State adjunct to the
Premier Minister and 1992-93 Minister of Culture, in 1996 Candidate
for the leadership of Nea Demokratia. 2000-02 Shadow Foreign- and
Defence Minister, Mayor of Athens 2002-06. Married to Isidoros
Kouvelos from 1998. (b. 1956-)
|
|
|
2006- Joyce Banda, Malawi |
|
She was Minister of Women, Child Welfare and Community Service
2004-06. (b.
1954-). |
|
|
2006- Kinga
Göncz, Hungary |
|
2002-04 Political State Secretary of Health, Social- and Family
Affairs,
2004 Minister without Portfolio for Equal Opportunities and
2004-06 Minister of Family, Children and Equality |
|
 |
2006- Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, Mexico |
|
Worked in various
Mexican UN-representation in New York and Géneve from 1982 and also
worked in the Ministry of External Relations. Ambassador to
Germany Austria, Slovenia and Slovakia and Representative to various UN
organisations in Vienna 2001-06. (b. 1958-). |
|
 |
2007- Sahana Pradhan, Nepal |
|
Leader of the Communist Party 1978-87, Leader of the Marxist NKP 1987-90, Leader of the United Left Front 1990-91, President of the united Marxist party UML 1991 and now member of the Executive Committee.
1990-91 Minister of
Industry and Trade,
1996-97 Minister of Forests and Soil Conservation and
1997 Minister of Women and Welfare. Widow of Pushpa Lal Shresta, leader of the Communists 1949-78, (b. 1932-). |
|
 |
2007- Maria da Conceição Nobre Cabral, Guinea Bissau |
|
Also Minister of International Cooperation and the Communities |
|
 |
2007-
Meritxell Mateu i Pi, Andorra |
|
Ambassador
to France, Council of Europe and UNESCO 1995-97, Ambassador to the European
Union, Belgium and Luxembourg from 1997 the following year also to the
Netherlands, from 1999 to Denmark and from 2001 to Slovenia, Minister of Heritage, Youth, Higher
Education and Recearch 2005-07. (b. 1966-). |
|
 |
2007- Minister of Foreign Affairs Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Iceland |
|
Former member of the Althing, Mayor of Reykjavik 1994-2003, Deputy Leader of Samfylkingin (The Alliance) 2003,
Party Leader 2003-05 and Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2005. |
|
 |
2007- Olubanke King-Akerele, Liberia |
|
Also known as
Olubanke Akerele,
Olubanke Yetunde or Olu Bankie,
she worked 20 years as Deputy Director for
the United Nations Development Program for Women and then United Nations
Development Program Representative in Mauritius and Seychelles prior to
her appointment as
Minister of Commerce and Industry in 2006.
She is the
granddaughter of former Liberian president Charles
DB King. |
|
 |
2007-
Zainab Hawa Bangura, Sierra Leone |
|
Co-founder and Chairperson of the
Movement for
Progress in 2002 and Presidential Candidate the same year and Chief
Civil Affairs Officer of the United Nations Mission in Liberia from
2005. Also Minister of International Cooperation. (b.1959-). |
|
 |
2007- Minister of Foreign
Affairs Paula Gopee-Scoon, Trinidad and Tobago |
|
MP for the governing
People’s National Movement (PNM). |
|
 |
2007- Dr.
Sanjaasuren Oyun, Mongolia |
|
Also
known as
Oyuun
Sanjaasürängiïn, she has been an independent MP from
1998, Leader of the Civil Will-Republican Party
from 2000,
Vice-Chairperson of ARDA (Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia) since 2001
and Parliamentary Spokesperson of the Coalition of Reformist
Parties and Leader of the Motherland-Democracy Caucus in 2004, Vice-President of The Great Khüral
2004-05. (b. 1964-) |
|
 |
2007-
María Isabel Salvador Crespo, Ecuador |
|
Minister of Tourism 2005-07. |
|
 |
2008- Minister of Foreign Affairs
Marisol Argueta de Barillas, El Salvador |
|
Former Director General for Foreign Policy, Minister-Councillor in
USA and Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the United
Nations. (b. 1968-). |
|
 |
2008-
Laure Olga Gondjout, Gabon |
|
Presidential Councilllor from 1984 and later
Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Ministers and Private
Secretary of President Omar Bongo Ondimba.
Minister-Delegate of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, the Francophonie
and Regional Integration
2006-07, Minister of Communication, Post and
Telecommunications, the New Technologies and Information
2007-08, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, the
Francophonie and Regional Integration from 2008.
Her father was Senator in the French
Union and later President of the National Assembly of Gabon. (b.
1953-).
|
|
 |
2008-
Rosemary Kobusingye Museminari,
Rwanda |
|
2000-05
Ambassador to United Kingdom, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway
and Sweden and the Republic of Ireland and
2005-08 Minister of State of
Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(b. 1962-). |
|
 |
2008-
Carolyn Rodrigues, Guyana |
|
Active
in Amerindian Community Affairs for a number of years,
2001-08
Minister of Amerindian Affairs (in charge of the Native Americans in
the Country). (b. 1974-).
|
|
 |
2008-
Eka Tkeshelashvili, Georgia |
|
2004-05 Deputy Minister of Justice,
2005-06 Deputy Minister of Interior,
2006-07
Chairperson of the
Tbilisi Court of Appeal, 2007-08 Minister of Justice
and
State Procecutor in 2008. (b. 1977-). |
Last update 06.05.08
Back to
homepage
|