Top job for peace prize winner
2005-03-29 09:39
Addis Ababa - Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 2004, has been elected president of the interim general assembly of the African Union's Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) to be launched on Tuesday.
Maathai was elected on Monday night by professional groups and civil society organisations from AU member states, who also elected four regional deputies for the council.
The ECOSOCC is envisioned as an advisory organ of the AU for the building of "a strong partnership between governments and all segments of African civil society and for achieving the goal of creating a people-centred African community," the AU said in a statement.
A biologist by training and the first woman from East Africa to earn a doctorate, Maathai was recognised by the Nobel Foundation for her work for human rights and environmental conservation. - dpa
- SAPA