Mauritania's Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed elected OIC secretary-general
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Mauritania's former foreign minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation at an extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 27, 2026. The 65-year-old diplomat succeeds Hussein Ibrahim Taha for a five-year term.
Key Facts
- Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected unanimously as OIC secretary-general at an extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 27, 2026.
- He succeeds Hussein Ibrahim Taha and will serve a five-year term as head of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
- Born on November 9, 1960, in Nouakchott, Mauritania, Ahmed holds a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Montpellier and a master's degree in human resource development from the University of Manchester.
- Ahmed served as Mauritania's foreign minister from 2018 and previously held senior UN positions, including UN resident coordinator in Syria (2008–2012) and Yemen (2012–2014).
- He speaks Arabic, French, and English.
Election and Succession
The OIC Council of Foreign Ministers convened an extraordinary session at the organization's headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on August 27, 2026. During the session, Mauritania's former foreign minister Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected unanimously as the new secretary-general. He replaces Hussein Ibrahim Taha, who had held the post since 2021. The 65-year-old diplomat will lead the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for a five-year term.
Diplomatic and UN Career
Ahmed was born on November 9, 1960, in Nouakchott, Mauritania. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Montpellier and a master's degree in human resource development from the University of Manchester, with additional training at Maastricht University. From 2008 to 2012, he served as UN resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator, and UNDP resident representative in Syria, and held the same roles in Yemen from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, he became deputy special representative of the UN secretary-general in Libya and later headed the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response. From 2015 to 2018, he was the UN secretary-general's special envoy for Yemen, and he previously held senior positions at UNICEF.
Ministerial Role and Languages
In 2018, Ahmed was appointed foreign minister of Mauritania. He is fluent in Arabic, French, and English. The OIC had earlier announced plans to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in the West Bank.
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Mauritania's Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed elected OIC secretary-general
