Babatunde Osotimehin

Babatunde Osotimehin

Osotimehin speaking at the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012
Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund
Assumed office
1 January 2011
Preceded by Thoraya Obaid
Federal Minister of Health
In office
17 December 2008 – 17 March 2010
Preceded by Adenike Grange
Succeeded by C.O.Onyebuchi John
Personal details
Born (1949-02-06) 6 February 1949
Ogun State, Nigeria

Babatunde Osotimehin (born 6 February 1949), a national of Nigeria, was appointed on 19 November 2010 as the new Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, for a four-year term. He was reappointed to this position on 21 August 2014[1] He assumed the position on 1 January 2011 and became the organisation's fourth Executive Director. He holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was Nigeria's Minister of Health. He left this office in March 2010 when Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet.[2]

Background

Birmingham University Medical School

Babatunde Osotimehin was born in February 1949 in Ogun State. He attended Igbobi College between 1966 and 1971. After his medical studies at University of Ibadan, he received a doctorate in medicine from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, in 1979. Prior to his appointment at UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, Dr. Osotimenhin served as the Minister of Health of Nigeria. Before that, Dr. Osotimehin was the Director-General of the Nigerian National Agency for the Control of AIDS, an agency that coordinates all HIV and AIDS work in a country with more than 150 million people. As chairman of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA) he oversaw the development of systems that, today, manage more than US$1billion.[3] During his tenure as Project Manager for the World-Bank assisted HIV/AIDS Programme Development Project from 2002–2008, he achieved great success.[4]

Dr. Ostotimehin's interests include youth and gender, within the context of reproductive health and rights. Young people will be his special focus at UNFPA. "We need to ensure that young people of both genders have equal participation, not only in reproductive rights and health but also within society and in the economy."[3] In a 2005 article in the New York Times, he noted that nearly 58 percent of Nigerians with H.I.V. are female. Many girls in Nigeria are married off before they are physically or psychologically ready, when they are as young as 13 or 14. It is not acceptable for them to ask their partners to use a condom or to refrain from sex.[5][6] Later that year, he said that the government had ordered an increase to 250,000 of the number of HIV-positive people on Nigeria's antiretroviral treatment program.[7]

He believes humility is the key to engaging people and facilitating change, "humility to engage with the other person of the other community in such a way that they know that you respect them."[3] Cultural sensitivity and understanding are also vital. He is married and has five children and three grandchildren.

Prior positions

His positions prior to the UNFPA appointment include:[8]

Minister of Health

Babatunde Osotimehin was appointed Minister of Health on 17 December 2008. During his tenure, he united all 36 states to build a national health plan focused on primary health care. In a September 2009 press conference, Dr. Osotimehin said that Nigeria had yet to comply with the Abuja Declaration that 15% of the budget of each African country should be devoted to health care. Nigeria as a whole was only spending between 8% and 9%, although some states were doing much better.[10] In October 2009, he pointed out that medical institutions were required by law to treat accident and gunshot victims. Refusal to give treatment could be punished by a jail term.[11] In December 2009 he reaffirmed the government's commitment to eliminate poliomyelitis and other childhood killer diseases.[12]

Memberships/Affiliations

Babatunde Osotimehin is a member or affiliate of the following:[8]

Honours

Selected bibliography

Babatunde Osotimehin has written or contributed to many papers and several books.[14] A selection follows:

References

  1. ↑ "Secretary-General Appoints Babatunde Osotimehin of Nigeria Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund". United Nations. 19 November 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  2. ↑ Daniel Idonor (17 March 2010). "Jonathan Sacks Ministers". Vanguard. Archived from the original on 22 March 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Babatunde Osotimehin: New Executive Director of UNFPA". The Lancet. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  4. ↑ "Rigorous Scrutiny for Ministerial Nominees". ThisDay. 17 November 2008. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Babatunde Osotimehin (19 August 2005). "The Other Half". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  6. ↑ Sandra Risa Leiblum (2006). Principles and practice of sex therapy. Guilford Press. p. 426. ISBN 1-59385-349-1.
  7. ↑ "Nigeria Has World's Third-Highest Number of HIV-Positive People, USAID Says". Medical News Today. 13 October 2005. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  8. 1 2 UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund (21 August 2014). "Babatunde Osotimehin". UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. Retrieved 21 September 2014.
  9. ↑ "UNU-Cornell Africa Series Three Speaker Biographies". United Nations University. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Govt Yet to Meet Abuja Declaration Target – Health Minister". ThisDay. 22 September 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  11. ↑ Ruby Rabiu (14 October 2009). "FG Orders Prompt Treatment of Gunshot, Accident Victims". Daily Trust. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  12. ↑ Florence Udoh (10 December 2009). "Polio Virus Has Declined in Nation By 80% – WHO". Daily Champion. Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2009.
  13. ↑ mHealth Summit (8 November 2010). "Babatunde Osotimehin, PhD". mHealth Summit. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  14. ↑ "Google Scholar results for Babatunde Osotimehin". Retrieved 17 December 2009.
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