Ndioro Ndiaye

Ndioro Ndiaye "was born in Bignona, Senegal, on 6 November 1946.

"After secondary studies in France, she undertook medical studies first at Dakar University, then at Bordeaux and Paris VII (Garancière).

"She was one of the first African women to pass the concours de l'agrégation (highest competitive examination for teachers) in France (specialising in odonology and stomatology). On that basis she then took up office as a Head of the Department of Odontology and Stomatology at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, until then occupied by foreign experts.

"In 1988, Mrs. Ndioro Ndiaye was appointed by the President of the Republic to the post of Minister for Social Development. On behalf of the Senegalese Government, she coordinated humanitarian activities during the crisis between Senegal and Mauritania in 1989. As the supervising minister, Mrs. Ndiaye devised and implemented practical solutions to assist both Senegalese and Mauritanian migrants displaced by the conflict.

"She has also been responsible for dealing with population movements arising from the situation in Casamance, where there has been a conflict for over 15 years now. From 1990 to 1995, Mrs. Ndiaye was Minister for Women's, Children's and Family Affairs. Thereafter, and until her appointment as Deputy Director-General of IOM, she resumed her numerous activities at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar, where she was highly instrumental in reforming tertiary education in Senegal.

"In 1990 Mrs Ndioro Ndiaye was invited by UNICEF to take part in preparations for the World Summit for Children. In that context she proposed that the rich countries should plough back a part of debt service payments by poor countries into programmes to help children. She also made a major contribution to preparations for the World Summit on the Economic Advancement of Rural Women held in Geneva in 1992 and which was followed by a meeting on the same topic in Brussels in 1994. She led the Senegalese delegation to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994.

"As chairperson of the Regional Conference of African Women, she was one of the driving forces in preparations for the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. As a member of the Advisory Counsel, she also helped to prepare for the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995.

"A founding member of the Comité scientifique pour les femmes et le développement, (Scientific Commission for Women and Development), Mrs. Ndioro Ndiaye founded an NGO around the mid-1990s called "Reseau de femmes africaines leaders pour la paix et le développement" (Network of African Women Leaders for Peace and Development), which she coordinated until her appointment to IOM.

"Mrs. Ndioro Ndiaye has published numerous scientific papers and has written several works and studies on social and political issues. She is Commandeur des Palmes académiques and Chevalier dans l'ordre de la Légion d'Honneur in France, and Commandeur de l'Ordre du Lion du Sénégal."

• Deputy Director General, International Organization for Migration