Chedly Ayari () (8 August 1933 – 28 January 2021) was a Tunisian politician, economist, and diplomat. He served in several ministerial positions under the government of

Habib Bourguiba Habib Bourguiba (3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian politician and statesman who served as the Head of Government of Tunisia, prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia from 1956 to 1957, and then as the first president of Tunisia from 1 ...

and was President of the

Central Bank of Tunisia The Central Bank of Tunisia (, , BCT) is the central bank of Tunisia. The bank is in Tunis and its current governor is Marouane Abassi, who replaced Chedly Ayari on 16 February 2018. History Tunisia gained independence in 1956. The Central Ban ...

from 24 July 2012 to 16 February 2018.

Early life and education

Ayari was born in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

. After his secondary studies at Sadiki College, he enrolled in the

School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences The School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (, EHESS) is a graduate ''grande école'' and '' grand établissement'' in Paris focused on academic research in the social sciences. The school awards Master and PhD degrees alone and conjo ...

. He earned a doctorate in economics in 1961 and a master's degree in private law from the

of the

Paris-Sorbonne University Paris-Sorbonne University (also known as Paris IV; ) was a public university, public research university in Paris, France, active from 1971 to 2017. It was the main inheritor of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Paris. In 2018, it m ...

Career

Ayari began his career as a department head at the Société Tunisienne de Banque before becoming an assistant professor at Tunis University the following year. He earned an

agrégation In France, the () is the most competitive and prestigious examination for civil service in the French public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all stu ...

in economics from the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

and became a professor at Tunis University and at the Faculté de droit et des sciences économiques et de gestion de Tunis, as well as an assistant professor at

Aix-Marseille University Aix-Marseille University (AMU; ; formally incorporated as ) is a Public university, public research university located in the Provence region of southern France. It was founded in 1409 when Louis II of Anjou, List of rulers of Provence, Count of ...

and the

University of Nice Sophia Antipolis A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

. During his career, he earned the title of doctorus honoris causa from Aix-Marseille University and Honorary President of the . As a researcher, Ayari studied international financial and monetary relations, macroeconomic policy, and human development. He was involved in several international research institutions, such as the Economic Research Forum in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

. He was also vice-president of the Tunisian National Advisory Council for Scientific Research and Technology. He was Director General of the from 1967 to 1969, a member of the scientific council of the Tunisian Foundation for Translation, Preparation of Texts and Studies, a member of the Conseil tunisien de la recherche scientifique et technologique, and an honorary member of the

Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts The Beit al-Hikma Foundation (shortened to Beit al-Hikma) or Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts is a scholarly national academy based in Tunis. It is housed officially in a mid-19th century palace, Carthage Royal Palace, Zarrouk Pala ...

. He was the author of numerous books focusing on economic, financial, monetary, social, and political issues, which were published in French,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, English, and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

. Several of his articles were published in the '. Ayari was a militant for the Tunisian national movement as a member of the . He was then a member of the political office and central committee of the

Socialist Destourian Party The Socialist Destourian Party ( ' ; ; ) was the ruling political party of Tunisia from 1964 to 1988. Bahi Ladgham was the first Prime Minister from the party and Hédi Baccouche was the last. It was founded on 22 October 1964 and disbanded on ...

until 1975.

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

appointed him to numerous ministerial positions within his cabinet. He served as Minister of Equipment, Housing and Spatial Planning from 7 November 1969 to 12 June 1970 and again from 25 September 1974 to 19 February 1975. He was from 12 June 1970 to 6 November 1970, while also serving as

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

from 12 June 1970 to 29 October 1971. He was

Minister of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfolio ...

from 22 March 1972 to 25 September 1974. On 22 January 2010, he was appointed by decree to the

Chamber of Advisors The Chamber of Advisors (, '), also called Chamber of Councillors, was the upper house of the Parliament of Tunisia. It was created by a 2002 amendment to the Tunisian constitution and was replaced by a unicameral Assembly of the Representatives ...

. Ayari held several diplomatic responsibilities, such as economic advisor to the Tunisian delegation at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from 1960 to 1964. He was also Ambassador to the

European Commission The European Commission (EC) is the primary Executive (government), executive arm of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with a number of European Commissioner, members of the Commission (directorial system, informall ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

in 1972. He was Chairman of the Commission for Industrial Development at the UN in 1962 and of the

Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa The Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) (Banque Arabe pour le Développement Economique en Afrique) (المصرف العربي للتنمية الاقتصادية في أفريقيا) is a development bank owned by Arab League t ...

from 1963 to 1964, executive director of the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

from 1964 to 1965, and a member of the advisory board for the

African Development Bank The African Development Bank Group (AfDB, also known as BAD in French) is a multilateral development finance institution, headquartered in Abidjan, Ivory Coast since September 2014. The AfDB is a financial provider to African governments and ...

. Ayari was appointed president of the Central Bank of Tunisia on 24 July 2012, replacing Mustapha Kamel Nabli and being approved by the

Constituent Assembly of Tunisia The Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, or National Constituent Assembly (NCA) was the body in charge of devising a new Constitution of Tunisia, Tunisian constitution for the era after the fall of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his Constitut ...

by a vote of 97 to 89, with 4 abstentions. His approval was highly criticized due to his relationship with former ruler

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisian Arabic: , ; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali or Ezzine, was a Tunisian politician who served as the second President of Tunisia from 1987 to 2011. In that year, during the Tun ...

, who was overthrown during the Tunisian Revolution in 2011. As President of the Bank, he sought to improve the Tunisian economic situation, while bringing reforms to banking and financial systems within the country. Thanks to his efforts, he won the Tatweej Award for Excellence and Quality in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

in 2014. In 2017, he earned a grade of B from the ''Central Banker Report Cards'', awarded by the American magazine '' Global Finance''. On 14 February 2018, he assured the

Assembly of the Representatives of the People The Assembly of the Representatives of the People ( ', ; ARP) is the lower house of the Parliament of Tunisia. The Assembly replaced the Constituent Assembly of Tunisia, Constituent Assembly and was first Tunisian parliamentary election, 2014, e ...

in a hearing that Tunisia's placement on the blacklist of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...

was purely political. That same day, he submitted his resignation as President of the Central Bank of Tunisia to

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Youssef Chahed Youssef Chahed (; born 18 September 1975) is a Tunisian politician who served as the 14th prime minister of Tunisia from 27 August 2016 to 27 February 2020. He served as Secretary of State for Fisheries and Minister of Local Affairs in the past ...

. His successor, , was appointed on 19 February 2018.

Personal life

He was the son of Sadok and Fatouma Ayari. He married Élaine Vatteau in 1959, and the couple lived in

Gammarth __NOTOC__ Gammarth ( ) is a town on the Mediterranean Sea in the Tunis Governorate of Tunisia, located some 15 to 20 kilometres north of Tunis, adjacent to La Marsa. It is an upmarket seaside resort, known for its expensive hotels and shops. In the ...

, where their three children were born. He died of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia } The COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia was a part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The disease was confirmed to have reached Tunisia on 2 March 2020 ...

aged 87.Décès de l'ancien ministre et gouverneur de la BCT Chedly Ayari

Honours

*Grand Cordon of the Order of Tunisian Independence *Grand Cordon of the Order of the Tunisian Republic *Grand Officer of the Ordre du 7-Novembre *Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Publications

*''Analyse de la structure économique : les fonctions de structure économique'' (1968) *''La coopération inter-universitaire dans la promotion du développement'' (1969) *''Mécanismes et institutions de la coopération arabo-africaine : le rôle de la BADEA'' (1975) *''De nouvelles perspectives pour la coopération arabo-africaine'' (1981) *''Arab-African co-operation: facing the challenge of the '80s'' (1985) *''Ten Years of Afro-Arab Cooperation, 1975-1984'' (1985) *''La Guerre du Golfe et l'avenir des Arabes : débat et réflexions'' (1991) *''Enjeux méditerranéens : pour une coopération euro-arabe'' (1992) *''La Méditerranée économique. Premier rapport général sur la situation des riverains au début des années 1990'' (1992) *''Mélanges en l'honneur de Habib Ayadi'' (2000) *''La souveraineté nationale face à la mondialisation : conflit non résolu'' (2002) *''Le système de développement tunisien : vue rétrospective. Les années 1962-1986. Analyse institutionnelle'' (2003) *''Variables internationales et nouveaux rôles régionaux'' (2005) * ''Carnet de route d’un artisan de la Tunisie du XXe siècle'' (2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayari, Chedly 1933 births 2021 deaths Tunisian politicians Tunisian economists Alumni of Sadiki College Paris-Sorbonne University alumni School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences alumni Governors of the Central Bank of Tunisia Socialist Destourian Party politicians Academic staff of Tunis University Academic staff of Côte d'Azur University Members of the Tunisian Academy of Sciences, Letters, and Arts Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Tunisia Academic staff of Aix-Marseille University