Dr. Mohamed Mustafa ElBaradei, an Egyptian lawyer and diplomat, is widely recognized for his significant contributions to nuclear disarmament and international diplomacy. Serving as the Director General of the IAEA, he advocated for the peaceful use of nuclear energy and played a crucial role in addressing nuclear proliferation concerns in countries such as North Korea and Iran. Notably, Dr. ElBaradei’s efforts led to the revelation that Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction, challenging the justification for the invasion by America and its allies. Fluent in Arabic, English, French, and German, he effectively communicated and conducted his work in Vienna. Furthermore, upon returning to Egypt, he vehemently protested against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak and briefly served as the acting Vice President of Egypt. Dr. ElBaradei’s commitment to democracy, freedom of speech, and nuclear disarmament has earned him international recognition, including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 2005.
Quick Facts
- Also Known As: Mohamed Mustafa ElBaradei
- Age: 81 Years, 81 Year Old Males
- Family:
- Spouse/Ex-: Aida El-Kachef
- Father: Mostafa ElBaradei
- Siblings: Mona ElBaradei
- Children: Laila Mohamed ElBaradei, Mostafa Mohamed ElBaradei
- Nobel Peace Prize
- Diplomats
- City: Cairo, Egypt
- Founder/Co-Founder: National Association for Change
- More Facts
- Education:
- 1974 – New York University School of Law
- 1962 – Cairo University
- Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies
- New York University
- Awards:
- Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria (Grand Decoration in Gold with Sash) (2009)
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Grand Cross with Star and Sash) (2010)
Childhood & Early Life
Mohamed ElBaradei was born in Cairo, Egypt, on June 17, 1942. His father Mostafa ElBaradei was an attorney and the head of the Bar association in Egypt. In 1962, he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Cairo. He completed his Master of International Law at the Graduate Institute of Studies in Geneva. From the New York University, he obtained a Doctor of Juridical Science degree in 1974.
Career
Mohamed ElBaradei started his diplomatic career with the Egyptian Ministry of External Affairs in 1964 and was posted at the Permanent Missions of Egypt to the United Nations in New York and Geneva. He handled issues such as legal, political, and the control of arms. From 1974 to 1978, he worked as the Egyptian foreign minister’s special assistant. He was also a senior fellow in charge of the International Law Program conducted at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. He taught international law at the New York School of Law as an adjunct professor from 1981 to 1987. From 1984 to 1993, he served as a senior staff member and the legal adviser of the IAEA Secretariat. He held the post of Assistant Director General for External Relations from 1993 to 1997. He currently holds a member’s post in both the American Society of International Law and the International Law Association. He became the Director General of IAEA on December 1, 1997, and called upon all countries to abide by the Model Additional Protocol for declaring undeclared nuclear arms. By 2009, more than 93 countries had the protocol in place. He was re-elected to the post in 2001 and told the UN Security Council in March 2003 that nothing incriminating was found in the search carried out in Iraq in 2002.
United States strongly objected to his re-election for a third term but was supported by Russia, China, France, and Germany and many developing countries. After the United States dropped its objections, he was unanimously elected to the post on June 13, 2005. When offered a fourth term in 2008, he refused the same. On January 25, 2011, the day of the start of the turmoil in Egypt, he declared that he would like to lead a provisional government. He returned to Egypt on January 27, 2011, but the main opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, was reluctant to make him the leader of the movement. He announced that he would run for President in March 2011 but later retracted. On April 28, 2012, ElBaradei formed the Constitution Party which merged with other secular parties to form the National Salvation Front on November 24, 2012, against President Mohammed Morsi’s regime. He became its coordinator on December 5, 2012. After President Mohamed Morsi was removed, it was announced on July 4, 2013, that ElBaradei would be the Prime Minister but the statement was retracted on July 7, 2013, due to objections from some parties. He was elected as Vice President on July 14, 2013, but resigned from the post on August 14, 2013, after the security forces killed 525 supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi during protests.
Awards & Achievements
ElBaradei received the Nobel Peace Prize on October 7, 2005, jointly with IAEA for his efforts on nuclear disarmament and the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. He has been awarded by the governments of many countries, including the highest honor of his own country.
Personal Life & Legacy
Mohamed ElBaradei is married to Aida El-Kachef, who works as a teacher. They have two children, a daughter named Laila and a son named Mostafa. The daughter is a lawyer working in London while his son lives in Cairo and works as an IT Manager. He has two granddaughters named Maya and Nina. He was commemorated by the Egypt Post with a stamp brought out on October 8, 2005, of Nobel laureates.
Humanitarian Work
He tried to convince countries to do away with their nuclear armament programs so that the world could be saved from nuclear holocaust in the future.