Akram Hamid Begzadeh Jaff
Akram Hamid Begzadeh Jaff الدكتور اكرم حامد بك جاف was a Kurdish leader who served in various posts in the Iraqi government and the United Nations Development Program. Also known as "Al Jaff" or "Al-Jaff" in some literature & records.
Early life
Akram Hamid Begzadeh Jaff was born on 14 July 1929 in the Kurdish town of Halabja in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, a member of the Jaff tribe. He was the son of Hamid Begzadeh Jaff. Dr. Jaff completed elementary and middle school in Halabja, and his high school in Baghdad. Dr. Jaff attended Royal Medical College in Baghdad briefly, before applying and getting accepted to university in the United States. Dr. Jaff moved to the United States to pursue his college education in 1948.In 1951 Dr. Jaff received a Bachelor's degree in Agricultural Sciences from the Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1952 Dr. Jaff received his Master of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky. In April 1957, he received his PhD in Genetics and Plant Education from Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Dr. Jaff briefly paused his PhD work to return to Iraq where he got married, and returned to campus with his wife to finish his research.
Early career
Upon completion of his college education in the United States, Dr. Jaff returned to Baghdad, Iraq, working in a range of scientific and administrative functions, including heading several agricultural delegations to the Soviet Union, United States of America, Yugoslavia, Romania, Egypt, Syria and Jordan.Dr. Jaff held various positions in government and industry:
- Director of Field Crop Research Department, Department Of Agriculture, Abu Ghraib College, University of Baghdad
- Member of the Board Of Directors of Rafidain Bank
- Member of the National Insurance Company
- Member of the Board Of Directors of the National Oil Company
UN career
Dr. Jaff joined the United Nations System in 1970 as Senior Agriculture Adviser in the UNDP in Mogadishu, Somalia where he served from 1970 to 1973. He later became the UNDP Resident Coordinator in Somalia and oversaw, among other things, the transition of Somalia's independence from Italy.In 1974, Dr. Jaff was appointed as Senior Agriculture adviser to UNDP in Cairo, Egypt. He was a member of the UN Transition Team of the return of Al Arish in the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt after the Yom Kippur war between Israel and Egypt. In 1978, FAO established its official representation status in Egypt, and Dr. Jaff was appointed as FAO's first Representative and Head of Mission in Egypt. He remained in Egypt until 1980 at which time he accepted a senior executive role at FAO's Headquarters in Rome, Italy.
Dr. Jaff and his family relocated to Rome in 1979, where he was appointed as Chief of Operations for the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Mediterranean Countries. He managed a large operational portfolio of FAO's technical assistance projects. Dr. Jaff was later appointed as Director of FAO's Global Operation Division. From 1991 to 1992, he served as Special Senior Adviser to the Director-General of FAO for Middle East and North Africa affairs prior to retiring from the UN Systems in July 1992.
On 9 May 2004 Ezzedine Salim, President of the Governing Council of Iraq, appointed Dr. Jaff as Iraqi Ambassador to the Rome Based Agencies of the United Nations, World Food Programme, and International Fund for Agricultural Development. This post represented Iraq's interests with the RBA, focused on agricultural programs and policies during the rebuilding of Iraq's infrastructure after the second Gulf War. Jaff presented his formal credentials as Ambassador to FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf on November 15, 2004 as part of ongoing diplomatic relations. During his tenure as Ambassador, Dr. Jaff chaired several pertinent Committees as well as retaining membership in the World Food Programme Executive Board.