16-05-2025
Halima El Warzazi, pioneering Moroccan diplomat and human rights advocate, dies at 92
The former Moroccan diplomat and human rights expert Halima El Warzazi has passed away at the age of 92, the National Human Rights Council announced. She served as a member of the Advisory Council on Human Rights (the predecessor to the current Council) from 2007 to 2011.
Born on April 17, 1933, in Casablanca, El Warzazi was among the first Moroccan women to enter the diplomatic corps. After earning a degree in literature from Cairo University, she began her career as a Cultural attaché at the Moroccan Embassy in Washington, serving from 1959 to 1967.
Her career in international diplomacy and human rights gained momentum in 1973, when she was elected to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination and appointed as an expert on the UN Committee against Apartheid.
El Warzazi held several prominent roles on the international stage. In 1980, she was elected Rapporteur of the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights, and in 1985, she chaired the Working Group on Harmful Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children. In 1989, she was appointed Director of International Organizations at Morocco's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
She reemerged in the international spotlight in 1992 as chair of the Preparatory Committee for the World Conference on Human Rights, later leading the UN Working Group on New Forms of Racism. In 2008, she was elected to the Advisory Committee of the UN Human Rights Council.
