Mongella-Biography

Global Summit of Women 2004
Seoul, Korea

Global Women’s Leadership Awards

Gertrude Mongella

In March 2004 Gertrude Mongella was chosen to be the first President of the Pan-African Parliament. Known as Mama Beijing, Ms. Mongella served as Chairperson of the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. After being appointed Minister of State for Women's Affairs, she became Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Tourism from 1985 to 1987 and for the following four years, worked at the Tanzanian President's Office as Minister Without Portfolio.

She represented Tanzania in numerous conferences dedicated to women's rights and the environment during the 1980s and early 1990s, being appointed vice-chair of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievement on the UN Decade for Women, performing similar duties for the UN before her appointment to Beijing in 1995.

In 1998, she was invited to return to Beijing by the women of China to speak about women's rights and since then took up several advisory positions at the United Nations. Her constant emphasis on debate and dialogue and the need to have clear principles was exemplified in her statement at the African Women's Forum at which she stated: "You have to be clear what you want and what you stand for. You must stand for principle. Principle will never let you down...You have to be able to choose what are the principles worth dying for".

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