Saida Agrebi
Encyclopedia
Economic, Social and Cultural Council
The Economic, Social and Cultural Council is an advisory body of the African Union designed to give civil society organizations a voice within the AU institutions and decision-making processes...
of the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
, representing North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. She also sits on the Pan-African Parliament
Pan-African Parliament
The Pan-African Parliament , also known as the African Parliament, is the legislative body of the African Union and held its inaugural session in March 2004. The PAP exercises oversight, and has advisory and consultative powers, lasting for the first five years...
representing Tunisia. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
with a Masters Degree in Public Health.
As a student she served as an instructor on reproductive and family health in hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s in California and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, instructor of public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
in Native-American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
reservations
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in the state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and lecturer on reproductive health
Reproductive health
Within the framework of the World Health Organization's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system...
in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
.
Ms Agrebi joined the Arab Labour Organisation where she served as the Director of the Bureau of the Arab Working Woman until 1987. She was appointed Director of Communication at the National Office for Family and Population, and then promoted to Deputy Director General in which capacity she served until 1995. In 1995 she acted as Deputy Director General of the Office of Tunisians Abroad, before being elected as Deputy in the Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia
Chamber of Deputies of Tunisia
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower chamber of the Parliament of Tunisia, the bicameral legislative branch of the government of Tunisia. It has 189 seats and members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. 20% of the seats are reserved for the opposition. Elections are held in the...
in 1999.
As an expert on various topics, including reproductive and public health, women’s rights, civil society and emigration, Ms Agrebi has participated in various UN events. She has also published various articles on women in the work place, Arab women, rural women, and family planning in English, French and Arabic.
In 2003, after the AWCPD’s successful lobbying to mainstream gender in the AU, Ms Agrebi was one of the five women elected to the AU Commission at the Second General Assembly in Maputo
Maputo
Maputo, also known as Lourenço Marques, is the capital and largest city of Mozambique. It is known as the City of Acacias in reference to acacia trees commonly found along its avenues and the Pearl of the Indian Ocean. It was famous for the inscription "This is Portugal" on the walkway of its...
, Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
.
Besides being a member of the AWCPD, Ms Agrebi is a member of many other organisations, including the vice-presidency of FEMNET
FEMNET
FEMNET, also called the African Women's Development and Communication Network, is an organization established in 1998 to promote women's development in Africa....
, the vice-presidency of the World Organisation of the Family, membership in Femmes Africa Solidarité
Femmes Africa Solidarité
The NGO FAS has been founded by African women leaders in 1996 in Geneve, in order to prevent and resolve conflicts in Africa and to empower woman for having a leadership role in peace building...
, and founding presidency of the International Arab Women’s Forum, the Tunisian Mothers’ Association and the Organisation of Magreb Mothers.
She has garnered many accolades for her work President Ben Ali
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali
Zine El Abidine Ben Ali is a Tunisian political figure who was the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. Ben Ali was appointed Prime Minister in October 1987, and he assumed the Presidency on 7 November 1987 in a bloodless coup d'état that ousted President Habib Bourguiba, who was...
of Tunisia presented the latest one.