Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow

Who is Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow?

Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow is a Senegalese educator. Born in Dakar, M'bow served in France and North Africa during World War II after volunteering for the French army. After the end of the war he studied geography at the Sorbonne University in Paris.

M'bow began working for UNESCO in 1953 and was the director-general from 1974 to 1987, being the first black African to head a United Nations support organisation. He called the Commission over the Problems of Communication which delivered the MacBride Report in May 1980, supporting international claims for a New World Information and Communication Order. His departure in 1987 followed criticism for administrative and budgetary practices.

In 1980, M'Bow was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Belgrade.