Valerie Ann Amos, Baroness Amos is a British Labour Party politician and diplomat who served as the eighth UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. Before her appointment to the UN, she served as British High Commissioner to Australia. She was created a life peer in 1997, serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council from 2003 to 2007.
The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation in East Africa. The EAC's membership consists of eight states: Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania. William Ruto, the president of Kenya, is the current EAC chairman. The organisation was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7 July 2000. The main objective of the EAC is to foster regional economic integration.
Asha-Rose Mtengeti Migiro is a Tanzanian politician and diplomat who was the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations from 2007 to 2012. She was appointed as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa on 13 July 2012.
Juma Volter Mwapachu is a Tanzanian politician and former Secretary General of the East African Community. He replaced Amanya Mushega of Uganda who completed his five-year term on March 24, 2006.
The East African Federation is a proposed federal sovereign state consisting of the eight member states of East African Community in the African Great Lakes region – Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. The idea of this federation has existed since the early 1960s but has not yet come to fruition for several reasons. Though the federation has not yet been established, many steps have been taken to advance this goal. Institutions and governing bodies already exist for the eventual union of these nations, with representatives from all of the related nations working together towards this common goal. A voluntary confederation will be formed as an intermediate step prior to the establishment of a full political federation.
Jessica Eriyo was a Ugandan educator, social worker, politician and diplomat. She served as the Deputy Secretary General of the East African Community, (EAC), responsible for Productive & Social Sectors. She was appointed to that position on 30 April 2012.
Ameerah Haq is a Bangladeshi technocrat who served as United Nations Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Field Support, the highest-ranking Bangladeshi official at the United Nations, from April 2012 until her resignation in July 2014. Subsequently, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon appointed her as one of the co-chairs of the High-Level Independent Panel on Peace Operations. Haq also served as the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor (UNMIT). Haq joined the UN in 1976.
The Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is a regional economic community in Africa with twenty-one member states stretching from Tunisia to Eswatini. COMESA was formed in December 1994, replacing a Preferential Trade Area which had existed since 1981. Nine of the member states formed a free trade area in 2000, with Rwanda and Burundi joining the FTA in 2004, the Comoros and Libya in 2006, Seychelles in 2009, Uganda in 2012 and Tunisia in 2018.
Richard Sezibera is a Rwandan medical doctor, diplomat and politician, who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 18 October 2018 until November 4, 2019. He replaced Louise Mushikiwabo. He was replaced by Vincent Biruta on November 4, 2019.
Nuwe Amanya Mushega, commonly known as Amanya Mushega, is a Ugandan lawyer, politician, diplomat, and civil servant. He served as the secretary general of the East African Community (EAC) from 2001 until 2006.
Hon. Jemma Nunu Kumba is a South Sudanese politician. She is the current Minister of Gender, Child and Social Welfare of South Sudan. She founded the Sudan women Parliamentary Caucus in 2004 at the start of the comprehensive peace agreement. She was chosen by the SPLM as the speaker of the Revitalised Transitional National Legislative Assembly (R-TNLA). She became the first woman to preside over the parliament of South Sudan.
Libérat Mfumukeko is a Burundian diplomat and civil servant. He is currently an IDA / World Bank Borrowers’ Representative where he co-chairs the Africa Group 1, and is also a [[Chargé de Missions] at the Office of the President of the Republic of Burundi. From 2016 to 2021, he was the Secretary General of the East African Community (EAC). During his term at EAC, he presided over the Tripartite EAC-COMESA-SADC in 2016-2017, served as an ex-officio member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and of the African Union Executive Council. Before 2016, Amb. Mfumukeko was the EAC Deputy Secretary in charge of Finance and Administration. From 2009 to 2015, he held high-profile positions in Burundi; he was the first Director General of the Burundi Investment Promotion Agency (2009-2012), the Principal Advisor to the President of the Republic of Burundi in charge of Economic Affairs (2012-2013), and the Director General of REGIDESO (2013-2015), the largest state-owned company in Burundi which main activities are production and distribution of water and electricity. Between 1994 and 2009, Amb. Mfumukeko held various managerial positions in the private sector in France and the USA where he studied and lived for more than 20 years, and he was an Economic Expert at the United Nations for 5 years. Amb. Mfumukeko holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics from the University of Tours (France), an MBA from Clark University, a Post-graduate Certificate in Adaptive Leadership from the Kennedy School of Government, and a Diploma in Russian Language from the Lomonossov Moscow State University (Russia). In 2021, Clark University granted him a Doctoral Degree Honoris Causa. Since 2013, Amb. Libérat Mfumukeko has been the founder and president of the NGO “Excellence in Education for Development” which operates Bujumbura International University.
The 17th EAC Extra Ordinary summit was held on 8 September 2016 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The summit was held with regards to the European Union and East African Community Economic Partnership agreement. Furthermore, the unrest in Burundi and South Sudan was discussed.
Valentine Sendanyoye Rugwabiza is a Rwandan businesswoman and politician who has served as the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2016 to 2018. She now is the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of MINUSCA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic.
Monica Kathina Juma is a Kenyan diplomat who currently serves as National Security Advisor to President William Ruto. She previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Defence in the cabinet of President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Peter Mutuku Mathuki is a Kenyan diplomat, private sector development expert, and former Secretary-General of the East African Community who currently holds the position as Ambassador of Kenya to Russia. He previously served as the 6th Secretary-General of the EAC from 27 February 2021 to June 7 2024, an MP in the East African Legislative Assembly between 2012 and 2017, and the CEO of the East African Business Council from 2018 to 2021.
Monique Mukaruliza was a Rwandan politician who served as strategic advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MINAFETT) of Rwanda.
Martin Karoli Ngoga is a Rwandan Lawyer and politician, ex-speaker for East African Legislative Assembly. He is also a former Prosecutor General of Rwanda and Special Representative to International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Abshir Omar Jama (Huruse) (Somali: Abshir Cumar Jaamac (Huruuse), Arabic: أبشر عمر جامع هروسي) is a Somali politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Somalia from 2022 to 2023.
Veronica Mueni Nduva is the 7th and current Secretary-General of the East African Community. She is the first woman to be appointed in this role.
