At the meeting, currently ongoing at Newport in the UK, Chief Obasanjo was elected to take over from Franz Vranitzky, who was a former chancellor of Austria from 1986 to 1996. Chief Obasanjo, who was a founding member of the IAC after he left office as a military head of state in 1979, took time off from its activities during the years when he was Nigeria's president between 1999 and 2007.
Chief Obasanjo is the first African to be elected as the IAC chairman since its establishment over 30 years ago. Made up of former heads of state and government, it was established in 1983 and it is an international organisation, whose objective is to address political, economic and social problems confronting humankind.
“I am humbled to have been elected as co- chair of the Inter Action Council, a position that has been held by some of my great friends, who were also my mentors over the years. These include Helmut Schmidt of Germany and the Late Malcolm Fraser of Australia and also my longtime friend Jean Cheritien, the former prime minister of Canada.
“We will continue the council’s important work but also look at some issues that are of particular concern to me, like youth engagement and employment. Africa has many problems but also great opportunities and the Inter Action Council will look at both," Chief Obasanjo said.
At the moment, the IAC is comprised of more than 30 former heads of state, who jointly develop proposals for action and submit them directly to national and international decision makers. In the council’s 32-year history, it has been at the forefront of many prominent issues, most notably, the 1997 drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Responsibilities, a document that counter-balances the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the 2010 Hiroshima Declaration, a powerful plea for the abolishment of nuclear weapons and the 2012 Global Water Crisis report.
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