Noureddine Mezni

African Union - United Nations Mission in Darfur (UNAMID)

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Nationality:           Tunisian
Date of birth:        March 31st, 1950, in Tunis
Gender:                Male
Marital Status:      Married with 4 childrens

SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

30 years experience in the fields of media, communication,diplomacy and public relations
Languages:     Arabic, French and English.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

• Jun. 1987: UN Language Proficiency Certificate
• Oct. 1973: MA Arabic Literature - University of Tunisia - Tunis
• Jun. 1973: BA Journalism - University of Tunisia - Tunis
• Sep. 1972: Certificate in Islamic Studies - University of Tunisia - Tunis
  Attended several skills upgrading courses in information science in the United States of America (American University, School of Communication, Washington D.C) and Europe (Germany, Yugoslavia, etc);

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior Public Information Officer & Spokesman        

January 2008 to present
African Union- United Nations Mission in Darfur  (UNAMID)

Senior Public Information Officer & Spokesman      

January 2005 to December 2007 African Union Missions in the Sudan (AMIS)
Joined the African Union (AU) commission as Chief of information and Spokesman of the African Mission In the Sudan (AMIS).

Spokesman for the Mediation in Abuja

Appointed by the African union commission as spokesman of the AU Mediation during the 5th and 7th rounds of the inter-Sudanese peace talks on the crisis in Darfur, held in Abuja, Nigeria (June/July - November/December 2005/May 2006, respectively);                         
Secretary General of High Council for Communication

(Office of the President of the Republic) – Tunisia    Apr. 2000 – Dec. 2004

Director of Finance & Administration Oct 1998 – Apr 2000

Islamic Jurisprudence Academy (Fikh Acadamy) of the Organization Islamic Conference  (OIC)– Saudi Arabia

Advisor and Spokesman for OIC

Working as press advisor and spokesman for OIC under Habib Chatty (Tunisia), Sharifuddin Pirzada (Pakistan), Hamid Algabid (Niger) and Azeddine Laraki( Morocco) - four former OIC Secretaries-General - was directly involved in the presentation for and organization of several summit and Ministerial Conferences;

In the courses of his career in the OIC, he established close relations and worked in collaborative harmony with top African officials and regional and international media.

Director of Public Relations, Communication & Protocol    March 1991 – Oct 1998
Cabinet of the Secretary General, OIC – Saudi Arabia

Appointed Director in the cabinet of the OIC Secretary general, in charge of public relations, communication and protocol (March 1991).

Chairman of the organization committee for the 25th Anniversary of the OIC (September 1995).

Deputy Director of Information    Mar 1987 – Jun 1991
Cabinet of the Secretary General, OIC – Saudi Arabia

Returned to OIC Headquarters in Jeddah as Deputy Director of Information in the cabinet of the secretary general (March 1987).

Deputy Permanent Representative of OIC to the UN    Sep 1985 – Sep. 1987
Islamic Conference Organization – UN HQ, New York

Appointed Deputy Permanent Representative of OIC in the United Nations, New York.

Officer in charge of Special Duties (Chargé de Mission)    Mar 1980 – Sep 1985
Office of the Secretary General, OIC – Saudi Arabia

Started international carrier with the organization of Islamic conference (OIC), Jeddah, as officer for special duties (Chargé de mission) in the cabinet of the Secretary General of the Organization.

Editor-in-Chief for TV News / Tunisian Television    Feb 1978 – Mar 1980

Journalist & TV News Anchor/Producer / Tunisian Television    Jul 1972 – Feb 1978
                   
LEADERSHIP & ACHIEVEMENTS

As member of OIC Mediation Support Team (1980-1998), Participated in mediation of several conflicts, including Iraq-Kuwait, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Senegal-Mauritania, and Turkish Community in Bulgaria

Served under four OIC Secretaries-General and participated in the organization of several summit meetings and ministerial conferences

Chaired organizing committee for the 25th anniversary of the OIC (Sep 1995)

Established and organized from scratch the Office of the Spokesman & Information Department of the African Union Mission in the Sudan (AMIS)

Raised the profile of AMIS and transformed the organization’s acronym into a recognizable logo

Oversaw the development and implementation of strategic communication plans for several high-profile events and activities, like the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) (2006), the Sirte negotiations, Libya (2007) 

Supervised the transfer of authority from AMIS to UNAMID in the field of media and public information  in his capacity as the the first spokesman  of the Hybrid Mission.

HONOURS/AWARDS: Officer of the Order of the Republic of Tunisia. (Aug 1996)

Email: mezni@un.org