Abdulrahim Abby Farah

Abdulrahim Abby Farah (Somali: Cabdiraxiim Caabi Faarax, Arabic: عبد الرحيم آبي فرح‎; October 22, 1919 – May 14, 2018) was a Welsh born Somali diplomat and politician. He was Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations 1979-1990. He served as the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations, and as the Ambassador of Somalia to Ethiopia.[1] He was the Chairperson of the PaSAGO non-governmental organization. He hails from the Rer Wa’ays subdivision of the Issa Musse Habr Awal subclan of the Isaaq.

Abdulrahim Abby Farah
عبد الرحيم آبي فرح
Undersecretary General of the United Nations
In office
1979–1990
Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations
In office
1965–1972
Prime MinisterAbdirashid Ali Sharmarke
Ambassador of Somalia to Ethiopia
In office
1961–1965
Prime MinisterAbdirizak Haji Hussein
Personal details
BornOctober 22, 1919
Barry, Wales
DiedMay 14, 2018 (aged 98)
New York, U.S.
Political partySomali Youth League
Alma materUniversity College, Exeter
Oxford University

Personal life

Farah was born on 22 October 1919, in Barry, Wales, and came from the Issa Musse subclan of the Isaaq.[2][3] His father Abby Farah, was a Somali entrepreneur and sailor, who was awarded an MBE for his community service to sailors in war time.[4] His mother, Hilda Anderson, ran a boarding house. Racial tensions in South East Wales were high at the time, following on from the Cardiff Race Riots in June 1919.[5][6]

Farah grew up in Barry, attending Gladstone Road School, and Barry Grammar School.

He earned degrees from the University College, Exeter and Balliol College, Oxford University in England.[3] His two brothers also studies at Oxford.[7]

Farah was married four times, and divorced twice. He met his third wife Sheila Farrell, a history teacher and speechwriter (d. 1997) at Oxford. He married his fourth wife, Hodan Goth, in 2001. He had seven children.[8][6][9]

Career

Farah began his diplomatic career with the Trust Territory of Somaliland administration, sent there age 17 by his father.[9] After independence, with the early civilian government of the Somali Republic. He therein served in various capacities from 1951 to 1961, including as Director of the Somali Information Service.[3]

Between 1961 and 1965, Farah was Somalia's Ambassador to Ethiopia. He acted as Somalia's representative to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in 1962. Ambassador Farah also represented the nation at Council of Ministers meetings of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1964 and 1965.[3]

From 1965 to 1972, Farah was the Permanent Representative of Somalia to the United Nations in New York City.[3] He concurrently served as the Acting Director General of Somalia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1966.[10]

From 1969 to 1972, Farah was the Chairperson of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid, presiding over a special session of the United Nations Security Council with Umar Ateh Galib in 1972.[11] He acted as the Assistant Secretary-General for Special Political Questions between 1973 and 1978.[3] Additionally, Farah served as Somalia's representative within the League of Arab States.[12][13]

From 1973 to 1978, he was the Undersecretary-General for Special Political Questions, later becoming the Undersecretary General from 1979 to 1990.[3][14] In 1990, Farah headed the UN Mission on ‘Progress made on the Declaration on Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences on South Africa’.[6][7]

In 1998, Farah helped found the Partnership to Strengthen African Grassroots Organizations (PaSAGO). He later served as the non-governmental organization's Chairperson.[3] Farah died in May 2018 at the age of 98.[15][9] He maintained his Welsh accent throughout his life.[9]

See also

References
  1. "FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1964–1968 VOLUME XXIV, AFRICA, DOCUMENT 348". Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  2. Who's who in the United Nations and Related Agencies. Arno Press. 1975. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  3. "Tenth Annual AMUN Conference, December 5-6, 1975". University of Central Arkansas. Archived from the original on 2015-02-23. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  4. "Farrah - Heritage of Somalis and Yemeni Community in Wales". heritageofsomalis.org.uk. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  5. Mohammed, Aamir (2019-06-16). "The notorious race riots in Cardiff that shamed Wales". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  6. "Abdulrahim Abby Farah: The most important Welshman you've never heard of". Nation.Cymru. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  7. Wightwick, Abbie (2018-05-17). "The Barry boy who helped free Nelson Mandela". walesonline. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  8. "Yonkers U.N. Families On The Go Yonkers U.N. Families On The Go" (PDF). Herald Statesman. 11 December 1970. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  9. Hayes, Simon (2018-06-14). "Abdulrahim Abby Farah obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  10. "FRUS 1964-1968, Volume XXIV: 320". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  11. Thomas, Scott M. (1996). The Diplomacy of Liberation: The Foreign Relations of the African National Congress Since 1960. I. B. Tauris. p. 115. ISBN 9781850439936.
  12. Pirouz Mojtahed-Zadeh (2013). Security and Territoriality in the Persian Gulf: A Maritime Political Geography. Routledge. p. 215. ISBN 1136817247. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
  13. "Abdulrahim Abby Farah: The most important Welshman you've never heard of". Nation Cymru. 9 June 2020.
  14. "Tributes for Wales-born Somali diplomat". BBC News. 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2018-05-18.
  15. Diplomat Abdulrahim Abby Farah passes away at 98
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