Wendy Chamberlin
Encyclopedia
Wendy Chamberlin is a veteran diplomat who has served in the United States
Department of State and USAID, worked for the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), and now serves as President of the Middle East Institute
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Department of State and USAID, worked for the UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR), and now serves as President of the Middle East Institute
Middle East Institute
The Middle East Institute is a non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, DC. Founded in 1946, MEI is the oldest institution in Washington dedicated exclusively to the study of the Middle East. Its founder, architect and philanthropist George Camp Keiser, assembled a team of...
.
US Department of State
- 1975 - Foreign Service officer
- Various offices:
- Office of Israel and Arab-Israeli Affairs
- Acting Director of Regional Affairs
- Director of Press and Public Affairs in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau
- Special Assistant for South Asian Affairs to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs
- Staff worker for Deputy Secretary of State and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian Affairs
- 1993 - 1996 - Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Kuala LumpurKuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia.
- 1996 - 1999 - Ambassador to LaosLaosLaos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
(Lao People's Democratic Republic).
- 1999 - July, 2001 - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
- July 18, 2001 - June, 2002 - United States Ambassador to PakistanUnited States Ambassador to PakistanThe U.S. embassy in Karachi was established August 15, 1947 with Edward W. Holmes as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, pending the appointment of an ambassador. The first ambassador, Paul H. Alling, was appointed on September 20, 1947. Anne W. Patterson was nominated as United States Ambassador to...
.
USAID
- December 2, 2002 - Appointed Assistant Administrator. Served as head of the USAID Asia and Near East Bureau.
- December 22, 2003 - Ends tenure with USAID to move to UNHCR.
UN High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR)
- December 12, 2003 - Appointed as Deputy High Commissioner on Refugees by High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud LubbersRuud LubbersRudolphus Franciscus Marie "Ruud" Lubbers is a retired Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from November 4, 1982 until August 22, 1994....
.
- January 19, 2004 - Officially welcomed as Deputy High Commissioner.
- February 24 - June 2, 2005 - Appointed as acting High Commissioner on the retirement of Ruud Lubbers. Served until the appointment of former Portuguese Prime Minister António GuterresAntónio GuterresAntónio Manuel de Oliveira Guterres, GCC is a Portuguese politician, a former prime minister and President of the Socialist International. Currently he is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.-Early life:...
.
- February 25, 2005 - Called for donations and humanitarian aid to prevent suffering in South SudanSudanSudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
.
- April 1–22, 2005 - Toured refugee camps in Sudan and Chad, where women expressed their fears of returning home. She urged Sudan to protect its own citizens.
- April 25, 2005 - Speaking from Geneva, she emphasized the need for funding and to bring security to the war-torn region of Darfur in Sudan.
- June 22, 2005 - Presented the Nansen Refugee AwardNansen Refugee AwardThe Nansen Refugee Award formerly known as the Nansen Medal is given annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to individuals or groups in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees. It is one of the most prestigious awards in the United Nations system...
to Marguerite "Maggie" BarankitseMarguerite Barankitse-Humanitarian work:Barankitse began providing food and shelter to 25 children on October 25, 1993, one of the worst days of the Burundi Civil War. She saw many people brutally killed before her very own eyes and gathered 25 children who were there as well so she could help them...
, known as the "Angel of Burundi."
- April 16–21, 2006 - Traveled to Pakistan to view earthquake survivors and Afghan refuge camps.
- December 18, 2006 - Visits refugee camps in Kenya where Somalis have fled both war and flooding.
Middle East Institute
- March 1, 2007 - Assumes presidency of the Middle East InstituteMiddle East InstituteThe Middle East Institute is a non-partisan think tank and cultural center in Washington, DC. Founded in 1946, MEI is the oldest institution in Washington dedicated exclusively to the study of the Middle East. Its founder, architect and philanthropist George Camp Keiser, assembled a team of...
. - May 7, 2011 - Claims President Obama's order to kill Osama Bin Laden took "as much courage as our Navy SEALs did in pulling off a near flawless operation."