Marjon Vashti Kamara (born 13 August 1949) is a Liberian diplomat and politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2016 to 2018.
Marjon Vashti Kamara | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Liberia | |
| In office 6 January 2016 – 2018 | |
| President | Ellen Johnson Sirleaf |
| Preceded by | Augustine Kpehe Ngafuan |
| Succeeded by | Gbehzohngar Milton Findley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Monrovia, Liberia |
| Alma mater | Western Michigan University |
| Occupation | Diplomat, Politician |
| Awards | Dame Great Band and Chancellor of the Orders in the Humane Order of African Redemption |
Early life and education
editKamara was born on 13 August 1949 in Monrovia to Jacob and Edith Kamara.[1] She attended Saint Theresa's Convent High school and graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1970 and a master's degree in political science in 1973.[2][3]
Career
editCamara began working in Liberia's Ministry for Foreign Affairs in 1974, working closely with Cecil Dennis,[1] before working at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) offices in Ethiopia, Uganda and Geneva from 1983 until 1994.[2] She was UNHCR's Representative to Angola from 1994–1998 and to Tanzania from 1998-2001. She then became Director of the Division of Operational Support in 2001, before being appointed Director of UNHCR for Africa in October 2005.[2]
Kamar was appointed as Liberia's ambassador to the United Nations in New York on 8 October 2009.[2][4][3] She chaired the fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh sessions of the Commission on the Status of Women and was elected to serve as Vice President of the sixty-sixth session of the General Assembly.[5]
Kamara was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on 6 January 2016.[6][1]
Awards and honours
editIn 2016, Kamara was made a Dame Great Band and Chancellor of the Orders in the Humane Order of African Redemption.[7]
Publications
edit- Kamara, Marjon Vashti; Plano, Jack C. (1974). United Nations Capital Development Fund: poor and rich worlds in collision. Western Michigan University Press. ISBN 9780932826145.
- Kamara, Marjon (September 2009). "Daring to dream of an end to exile in sub-Saharan Africa". Forced Migration Review. 33. Oxford: 30–32.
References
edit- ^ a b c "Liberia: Foreign Minister Marjon Kamara's Challenges". Daily Observer. All Africa. 10 January 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ a b c d "Her Excellency Marjon V. Kamara". Washington Diplomat.
- ^ a b Williams, Wade C. L. (7 January 2016). "Meet Liberia's New Foreign Minister". LibPolitices. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ "New Permanent Representative of Liberia Presents Credentials". United Nations. 8 October 2009. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
- ^ Captan, Monie R. (2016). Introduction to Liberian Government and Political System. Lulu Press. ISBN 9781483448787.
- ^ "Ambassador Marjon Kamara Appointed New Foreign Minister". Government of the Republic of Liberia Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 2016-10-23. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
- ^ "Amb. Marjon Kamara Admitted into Humane Order of African Redemption". Front Page Africa. 6 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2017.