International Year Book and Statesmen's Who's Who

Gabonese RepublicRépublique GabonaiseGeneral Profile Capital: Libreville (Population estimate, 2012: 797,000) Head of State: Gen. Brice Oligui Nguema (Transitional President of Gabon) National Flag: Three horizontal stripes, green, yellow and blueConstitution and Government ConstitutionGabon, a former part of the French territory of Equatorial Africa, became independent on 17 August 1960. A new constitution creating a multiparty political system was introduced in 1991. It was amended in 1995 to include the 1994 Paris Accord agreements.Executive power rests with the …

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bulgaria; political career: Research Assist., Inst. of Political Sciences, 2004-08; Parly. Sec. to MEPs from GERB party within the EPP Group, 2008-09; Vice-Pres., EPP Women, 2012-19; Vice-Pres., EPP Group, European Parliament, 2014-17; MEP, 2009-17; European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, 2017-19; Commissioner, Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, European Commission, 2019-2023; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of Belgium, 2023-; office address: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 Aleksa…

Retired politician; born: 1959; education: Göttingen Univ., Teacher Training in German, Politics and Sociology; party: SPD, 1977-; political career: Mem., State Assembly of Lower Saxony, 1990-2005; Goslar Town Councillor, 1991-99; Spokesman on domestic policy, SPD parly gp., Lower Saxony State Assembly, 1994-97; Mem., SPD Party Exec., 1999; Minister Pres., Lower Saxony, 1999-2003; Mem., Bundestag, 2005-19; Federal Minister of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, 2005-08; Vice Chancellor, Minis…

Former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of International Economic Integration and Reforms, Government of Armenia; born: 1965, Armenia; languages: Armenian, English, Russian, German; education: Davidson College, Davidson NC, USA, 1988-89; Yerevan State Univ., Romance and Germanic Languages, 1989, Post-grad School, 1992; National Academy of Sciences, Ph.D. in Theory of Linguistics, 1994; Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, 1995; Yerevan State Univ., Docent (assoc. prof.), 2003; party: Republican Party of Armenia; political career: Minister of Finance, 2010-13; Chief of…

Director, UNRISD; professional career: Chief Economist, Acting Head of Policy, Christian Aid; Economic Adviser, UK Dept. for International Dev (South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland); Financial adviser, Central Bank of Guyana; Policy Adviser on International Dev., UK Treasury; various positions, UNDP; Dir., UNRISD, 2015-; office address: UN Research Institute for Social Devlopment, Palais des Nations , 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.

Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations; professional career: Career diplomat, joined Singapore Foreign Service in 1988; most recent positions; Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, Geneva, 200-07; Ambassador to France, 2007-10; High Commissioner to Australia, 2014-16, also Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for United Nations Climate Change Negotiations, 2010-14; Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations, 2016-; office address: Permanent Mission of Singapore to the United Nations, 318, East 48th St…

Justice, High Court of Australia; professional career: barrister, Supreme court of New South Wales, 1989, Senior Counsel, 2000; Solicitor General, 2008; appointed Justice, High Court of Australia, 2012-; office address: High Court of Australia, Parkes Place, Parkes, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia.

Associate Chief Justice, Federal Court; professional career: admitted to Quebec Bar, 1990; practised civil and commercial litigation for over 20 years; Desjardins Ducharme; Lavery, deBilly, 2007; Appointed to Federal Court, 2012; appointed Judge, Court Martial Appeal Court, 2013; Mem., Rules Cttee., 2014-; Mem., Judges Inquiry Cttee., 2015; Judicial Mem., Competition Tribunal, 2016; Associate Chief Justice, 2018-; office address: Federal Court, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0H9, Canada.

Former Minister, Government of Georgia; born: 1975; political career: Dep. Minister, Minister of Sustainable Economic Development, 2015-16; Dep. Minister, Ministry of Finance, 2016-18; Minister of Finance, 2018-Dec. 2018; professional career: Financial Dir., Stride Georgia, 2006-09; Chief Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Finance, 2009; Head of Project Implementation Unit, Public Sector Finance Mgt. Reform, 2009-111; Dep. Exec. Dir., National Statistics Office, 2011-12; Head of Dept., Dept. of Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting, Ministry of Finance, 2013-16.

Prime Minister, Government of Norway; born: 1960; languages: English, French, German, ; education: Naval Officers Training School (OMA II), Royal Norwegian Naval Academy, 1979-81; Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, Certificat d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, 1981-82, Diplome de l'Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, 1982-85; party: Leader, Labour Party; political career: State Sec. and Chief of Staff, Office of the Prime Minister, 2000-01; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oct. 2005-12; Minister of Health and Care Services, 2013; Leader, Labour…

Former Prime Minister, Government of Georgia; born: 1975; political career: Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister of Georgia, 2014-16; Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development, Gov. of Georgia, 2016-17; Minister of Internal Affairs, 2017-19; Deputy Prime Minister, 2017-19; Prime Minister of Georgia, 2019-2021; professional career: Visiting lecturer, applied biotechnology, Moscow State Univ., 2006-09; Business Dev. Dir., Eastern Europe, CIS and the Russian Federation, Luthansa Service Holding AG, German, 2008-13; Business ombudsman of Georgia, 2013-16.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Government of the Republic of Congo; born: 1957; education: Sorbonne, Paris; Marien Ngouabi Univ., Brazzaville; political career: Adviser to the Minister of Communication, Posts and Telecomm., 1997-2002; Minister of Culture and the Arts, 2002-15; MP, 2007-; Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2015-; office address: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, PO Box 2070, Brazzaville , Republic of Congo.

Ecuador: Galapagos Islands.General Profile Capital: Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (Population estimate: 5,600) Head of State: Guillermo Lasso (President) Flag: A horizontal tricolour, green, white then blueConstitution and GovernmentIt is probable that the first visitors to the Galapagos Islands were South American Indians from the coastal regions of Ecuador and northern Peru. The recorded discovery of the islands did not come until 1535, however, when Tomas de Berlanga, Bishop of Panama, accidentally landed there on his way t…

Career diplomat; born: 1975; education: Dipl. Academy, Austria, 1998; Free Int. Univ. of Moldova, Law, 1993-97; political career: Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, 2016-17; First Dep. Prime Minister of Moldova, 2016-17; professional career: career diplomat; Attaché, Gen. Dept. for Europe and North America, 1995-97, 2nd Sec., 1997-99, Counselor, 1999-2000; First Sec., Moldovan Emb. in Vienna, 2000-04; Dir., Gen. Dept. of International Security, MFA, 2004-05; Minister Adviser, Moldovan Emb., Washington DC, USA,…

British, Member of Parliament for North Thanet, House of Commons; born: 1943, Poole, Dorset; languages: French; education: Hardye's School, Dorchester; Guildhall Sch. of Music and Drama (LGM&D); party: Conservative Party; political career: MP, North Thanet, 1983-; PPS to the Minister of State For the Armed Forces, 1987-89; Vice Chmn., Conservative Party, 2001-03; Full mem., Council of Europe, 2012-15; memberships: Equity; FRAME (former Chmn. 1987-89); British Delegation Council of Europe 1987-89; Western European Union, 1987-89; Hon. Mem., British Veterinary Assn.; profess…

Former Ambassador to the UK, Embassy of Chile; education: Oxford Univ.; professional career: Lecturer, Oxford Univ.; Fellow, St Antony's College, Oxford, 1968-74; Morgan Grenfell, 1974-84, Dir., Morgan Grenfell International; founded, ASSET-Chile; Ambassador to the United Kingdom.

Minister for Finance, Minister for Women, Minister for the Public Service, Government of Australia; education: Australian National Univ.; political career: Various roles in ACT government incl. Treasurer, Minister for Education; Minister for Industrial Relationsl Minister for Children, Youth & Family Support, Minister for Community Services, Minister for Women, Minister for Territory and Municipal Services; Leader, ACT Labor Party, 2011; Chief Minister, 2011-2015; Senator for ACT, 2019-; Cabinet Minister, Governme…

Former Attorney General, Government of Ireland; education: University College Dublin, Bachelor of Civil Law Degree, 1975; King's Inns, Dublin, Barrister at Law, 1976; University College Dublin, BA, History and Economics, 1978; Trinity Hall, Cambridge, LL.M, 1979; political career: Attorney General of Ireland, 2007-11, 2020-2022 (retired); professional career: Bar of Ireland (Junior Counsel), 1979; Inner Bar of Ireland (Senior Counsel), 1991; Bencher of the King's Inns, 2005-; Ireland's nominee to Arbitration and Conciliation Panels of the I…

Former Premier, Government of New Brunswick; education: BA, Univ. de Moncton, Canada; LLB., Masters in Law, McGill Univ., Canada; political career: MP, 2013-; Premier, President of the Executive Council, Chair, New Brunswick Jobs Board. Minister responsible for Innovation, Minister responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister responsible for Women's Equality, Minister responsible for Rural Affairs, Premier's Council on the Status of Disabled Persons, 2015-18.

Ambassador, British Embassy in Germany; professional career: FCO, 1991-; Amb. to Portugal, 2011-14; Dir.of Human Resources, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 2014-18, Dep. Political Dir., 2018-2020; Ambassador to the Federal Rep. of Germany, 2020-; office address: British Embassy, Wilhelmstrasse 70-71, 10117 Berlin, Germany.