Biography

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Director General

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei is the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an intergovernmental organization that is part of the United Nations system. He was appointed to the office effective 1 December 1997, and reappointed to a third term in September 2005.

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From 1984, Dr. ElBaradei was a senior staff member of the IAEA Secretariat, holding a number of high-level policy positions, including that of the Agency´s Legal Adviser and subsequently the Assistant Director General for External Relations.

Dr. ElBaradei was born in Cairo, Egypt, in 1942, son of the late Mostafa ElBaradei, a lawyer and former President of the Egyptian Bar Association. He gained a Bachelor´s degree in Law in 1962 at the University of Cairo, and a Doctorate in International Law at the New York University School of Law in 1974.

Areas of Interest

He began his career in the Egyptian Diplomatic Service in 1964, serving in the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva, in charge of political, legal and arms control issues. During this period, Dr. ElBaradei participated in the activities of many international and regional organizations, including: the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, the Conference on Disarmament, the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the Commission on Human Rights, the Organization of African Unity and the League of Arab States.

From 1974 to 1978 Dr. ElBaradei was a special assistant to the Foreign Minister of Egypt. During this period, Dr. ElBaradei was a member of various presidential and ministerial bilateral delegations. He was a member of the negotiating team that led to the conclusion of the disengagement agreements between Egypt and Israel.

In 1980 he left the Diplomatic Service to join the United Nations and became a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Program at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. From 1981 to 1987 he was also an Adjunct Professor of International Law at the New York University School of Law.

During his career as diplomat, international civil servant and scholar, Dr. ElBaradei has become closely familiar with the work and processes of international organizations, particularly in the fields of international peace and security and international development. He has lectured widely in the fields of international law, international organizations, arms control and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and is the author of various articles and books on these subjects. He belongs to a number of professional associations, including the International Law Association and the American Society of International Law.

In October 2005, Dr. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to prevent nuclear energy from being used for military purposes and to ensure that nuclear energy for peaceful purposes is used in the safest possible way." In its citation, the Norwegian Nobel Committee referred to the IAEA´s work as being of "incalculable importance", and referred to Dr. ElBaradei as an "unafraid advocate" of new measures to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Dr. ElBaradei has received multiple other awards for his work as a public servant and as an advocate of tolerance, humanity and freedom. These include:

  • the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Medal;
  • the James Park Morton Interfaith Award;
  • the Academy of Achievement Golden Plate Award;
  • the Raymond "Jit" Trainor Award from Georgetown University for distinction in the conduct of diplomacy;
  • the Karlsruhe "Mund Auf" award;
  • the Dortmund "Der Steiger Award for Tolerance";
  • the "Prix de la Fondation" award of the Crans Montana Forum;
  • the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) Human Security Award;
  • the "Keys of the City" of Bari and Florence, Italy and Montevideo, Uruguay;
  • Honorary Patron of the Philosophical Society, Trinity College, University of Dublin;
  • the "El Athir" Award, Algeria´s highest national distinction;
  • the "Golden Dove of Peace" prize from the President of Italy; and
  • the "Mostar 2007" International Peace Award of the Mostar Center for Peace and Multi-ethnic Cooperation.

Dr. ElBaradei is the recipient of honoris causa degrees from New York University, the University of Maryland, the American University in Cairo, the Free Mediterranean University (LUM) in Bari, Soka University of Japan, Tsinghua University in Beijing, the Polytechnic University of Bucharest, the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Konkuk University in Seoul, the University of Florence, the University of Buenos Aires and the National University of Cuyo in Argentina. He has also received a number of decorations, including the Greatest Nile Collar - the highest Egyptian civilian decoration.

Dr. ElBaradei is married to Aida Elkachef, an early childhood teacher. They have a daughter, Laila, a lawyer, married to Neil Pizey, an investment banker - who live in London - and a son, Mostafa, an IT manager, who lives in Cairo.

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, IAEA Director General