Mervat M. Tallawy is an Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

 and politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

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Mervat Tallawy holds a B.A. in political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 and business administration from the American University in Cairo

American University in Cairo

The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...

. She also completed studies at the Graduate Institute of International Studies

Graduate Institute of International Studies

The Graduate Institute of International Studies, best known as HEI , was founded in 1927 as one of the first institutions in the world dedicated to the study of international relations...

 (HEI) in Geneva

Geneva

Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...

, Switzerland. In 1963, she joined the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Egypt)

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt is the Egyptian government ministry which oversees the foreign relations of Egypt. The current Minister is Mohamed Kamel Amr.-Early history:...

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From 1985 to 1988, Ms. Tallawy was the deputy director of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women

United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women

Since 1979, the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women has been the leading UN Institute devoted to research, capacity-development and knowledge management with the goal of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment...

 (UN-INSTRAW). Subsequently, she was the ambassador of Egypt in Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

, Austria, until 1991. From 1991 to 1993, she was assistant foreign minister. From 1993 to 1997, she served as Egypt's ambassador to Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. Ms. Tallawy held the post of the Minister for Insurance and Social Affairs of Egypt from 1997 to 1999.

On 22 November 2000, Mervat Tallawy was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations

Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations

An Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations is a senior official within the United Nations System, normally appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Secretary-General for a renewable term of four years....

 and executive secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia , headquartered in Beirut, Lebanon, is one of the five regional commissions under the administrative direction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. UN-ESCWA promotes economic and social development of Western Asia...

 (ESCWA). In 2007, she was succeeded by Bader Al-Dafa

Bader Al-Dafa

Bader Al-Dafa served from 2007 to 2010 as the United Nations Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia . He was appointed to the position by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in July 2007....

 from Qatar.

Mrs. Tallawy is a board member of the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development

Sawiris Foundation for Social Development

Sawiris Foundation for Social Development is an Egyptian charity organization linked with the Sawiris Family established in 2001 and a prominent institution of economic and social aid in Egypt.Its activities include:...

 and an executive member of the 2011 founded left liberal Egyptian Social Democratic Party

Egyptian Social Democratic Party

The Egyptian Social Democratic Party is a left liberal party in Egypt which was founded after the 2011 Egyptian Revolution by the merger of two minor liberal parties, the Egyptian Democratic Party, and the Liberal Egyptian Party on 29 March 2011...

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