Distinguished Visiting Fellow

Chief Emeka Anyaoku

Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.

Eleazar Chukwuemeka (Emeka) Anyaoku was born on 18 January 1933 in Obosi, Nigeria.

In 1959, Emeka Anyaoku joined the Commonwealth Development Corporation. Following Nigeria's independence, he was invited to join his country's diplomatic service and, in 1963, was posted to Nigeria's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

In 1966, shortly after the establishment of the Commonwealth Secretariat, he was seconded to the new organisation at the request of the first Secretary-General, Arnold Smith of Canada, as Assistant Director of International Affairs, later becoming Director and, in 1975, Assistant Secretary-General. In 1977, Commonwealth governments elected him Deputy Secretary-General with responsibility for international affairs and the Secretariat's administration.

Nigeria's civilian government of 1983 called on Chief Anyaoku to become Nigeria's Foreign Minister. On the overthrow of the Government by the military, he returned to his position as Deputy Secretary-General, and at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting at Kuala Lumpur in 1989, he was elected the third Commonwealth Secretary-General. He was re-elected at the 1993 Limassol CHOGM for a second five-year term, beginning in July 1995.

Amidst his international commitments, Chief Anyaoku continues to fulfil the duties of his office as Ichie Adazie of Obosi, a traditional Ndichie chieftaincy title.

Emeka Anyaoku's career spans 30 years of Commonwealth initiatives and negotiations. He has been actively involved in such thorny issues as the Gibraltar referendum of 1967, the Nigerian civil war of 1967-70, the St Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla constitutional crisis of 1969-70, the problems following Commonwealth Games boycotts during the 1980s and the process leading to peace and democracy in Zimbabwe, Namibia and, in particular, South Africa. He was also closely involved in the establishment in New York of a joint office for small Commonwealth countries who are thus enabled to be represented at the United Nations. In early 1997, he organised the first African Commonwealth Heads of Government Roundtable to promote democracy and good governance on the continent.

Distinguished Visiting Fellow

Dr Ernesto Zedillo Ponce De Leon

President of Mexico 1994-2000

President Zedillo will join the programme in autumn 2001.

In 1978 Dr. Zedillo started a decade-long career at Mexico’s Central Bank, where he served as economist, deputy manager of economic research, general director of a trust fund  in charge of  supporting the solution of the 1980’s private sector’s external debt problem, and deputy director of the bank. During his stay at the Bank of Mexico he published several professional articles in various books and journals. He also taught macroeconomics and international economics at master programs of the Colegio de Mexico and the National Polytechnic Institute.

In late 1987, he was appointed undersecretary of the budget at the Mexican Federal Government. In this position,  he participated in the design and execution of  an economic adjustment program that eventually lead, for the first time in many years, to the stabilization of the Mexican economy. A year later, he  became head of the full secretariat. As secretary of economic programming  and the budget (1988-1992), he contributed to the successful  economic reforms undertook by the Mexican Federal Government during  the early 1990’s. He was appointed Secretary of Education in early 1992, with a precise mandate to launch a sweeping reform of the national basic education system. This was achieved after nine months and comprised not only the updating of the national curriculum and  school materials, the establishment of special compensatory programs for the education of the poorest students, but also the decentralization of the whole system to state governments.

Dr. Zedillo left the Federal Government in late 1993 to become  head of the campaign of Mr. Luis Donaldo Colosio, the PRI presidential candidate. He succeeded  Mr. Colosio as the PRI presidential candidate after his assassination. He was elected President of Mexico on August 21, 1994. He received around 50 per cent of the total votes. More than 78 per cent of the registered  voters participated in this election , which was considered both by national and international observers as unprecedented regarding its legality and transparency. Nevertheless, from his very first day in office he called for further and definitive political reforms to achieve full democracy in Mexico. This became an undeniable reality during Dr. Zedillo’s Presidency, thanks above all to the participation of all political parties  and many Mexican citizens. Right at the start of his mandate, Dr. Zedillo´s government had to confront  a major financial and economic crisis. He did not hesitate to take whatever harsh actions were deemed necessary to overcome the adverse situation. Boldness paid-off. The five year period with the highest GDP growth  in recent Mexican history was achieved during 1996-2000. Economic discipline was not pursued at the expense of social justice during the Zedillo Presidency. Every year social programmes were allocated an increasing proportion of the Federal Budget until reaching its highest historical share in year 2000.

Former President Zedillo has been married to Nilda Patricia Velasco since 1974. They have five children: Ernesto, Emiliano, Carlos, Nilda Patricia and Rodrigo.

Dr Zedillo is also the Chair of the United Nations High Level Panel on Financing for Development.