Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attended a ceremony at the United Nations to unveil a memorial plaque honouring permanent representatives who died while serving at the organization. The ceremony, held outside the Security Council chamber at the UN headquarters in New York, was on the sidelines of the high-level segment of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Abdelatty was joined by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Ivorian Minister of State and Foreign Minister Nialé Kaba, and senior UN officials.
The memorial plaque was initiated by Egypt’s Permanent Mission to the UN to honour Mahmoud Azmy, Egypt’s third permanent representative to the UN, who died on 3 November 1954. Azmy died of a heart attack while attending a Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East. Born in Egypt’s Sharqiya governorate in 1889, Azmy was a prominent Egyptian journalist, legal thinker, and diplomat during the first half of the 20th century.
Azmy earned a doctorate in law, economics, and political science from Paris in 1912 before pursuing a career in journalism and public affairs. He headed the editorial boards of several newspapers and contributed to the establishment and editing of others, becoming known for his advocacy of press freedom and national independence. Azmy later entered international diplomacy, representing Egypt at international forums and playing a prominent role in issues related to human rights, freedom of expression, and freedom of the press.
Azmy contributed to international efforts to establish the principles that underpinned the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and served as president of the UN Commission on Human Rights. In 1954, he became head of Egypt’s mission to the UN and its permanent representative in New York, where he continued to defend Egypt’s positions and interests as well as Arab causes, particularly the Palestinian issue.
Abdelatty said the initiative was a gesture of recognition and appreciation for Azmy’s contributions during a foundational and pivotal period in UN history. He added that Azmy had left a significant mark on Egyptian diplomacy and international affairs, describing him as an example of a dedicated Egyptian diplomat who defended his country’s interests and causes until the final moments of his life.
The plaque also bears the names of former Russian permanent representatives Andrei Vyshinsky and Vitaly Churkin, who died in 1954 and 2017 respectively while serving as representatives of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation at the UN. It also honours former Ivorian permanent representative Bernard Tanoh-Boutchoué, who died in 2018 while his country was serving as a non-permanent member of the Security Council.
The minister said commemorating Azmy at the Security Council honours a distinguished national and diplomatic career and recalls the legacy of one of Egypt’s pioneers at the UN. The ceremony is a testament to Egypt's commitment to recognizing and appreciating the contributions of its diplomats who have served at the UN.
Key points
- Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty unveils a UN plaque honouring Mahmoud Azmy.
- Azmy died in 1954 while serving as Egypt's permanent representative to the UN.
- The plaque also honours former permanent representatives from Russia and Côte d'Ivoire.
