Muhammad Said al-Attar () (26 November 1927 – 20 November 2005) was the acting

Prime Minister of Yemen The prime minister of the Republic of Yemen is the head of government of Yemen. Under the Constitution of Yemen, the prime minister is appointed by the president, and must, like his cabinet, enjoy confidence from the House of Representatives ...

for five months in 1994. During his career, he held various ministerial positions in Yemen and represented his country at the United Nations. From 1974 to 1985, Muhammad Said Al-Attar was Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (currently ESCWA).

Career

Muhammad Said Al-Attar was born in 1927 in

Djibouti Djibouti, officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to the east. The country has an area ...

from a Yemeni father originally from Al-Hojariya, (in Taez governorate, Al-Shomayatayn district) and a Yemeni mother from

Ash Shihr Al-Shihr (), also known as ash-Shir or simply Shihr, is a coastal town in Hadhramaut, eastern Yemen. Al-Shihr is a walled town located on a sandy beach. There is an anchorage but no docks; boats are used. The main export is fish oil. The town is d ...

coastal town in

Hadhramaut governorate Hadhramaut Governorate () is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate. The capital of Hadhramaut is the city of Mukalla. Other cities in Hadhramaut include the histori ...

(Southern Yemen). He undertook his primary and secondary education between Djibouti and

Aden Aden () is a port city located in Yemen in the southern part of the Arabian peninsula, on the north coast of the Gulf of Aden, positioned near the eastern approach to the Red Sea. It is situated approximately 170 km (110 mi) east of ...

, before moving to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

where he obtained several degrees in French literature 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 a doctorate (Ph.D) in economics and social science from the Faculté des Lettres at the Sorbonne. Between 1959 and 1962, he was a research fellow at the Institut d’Etudes du Developpement Economic et Social in Paris. In 1962, Muhammad Said Al-Attar joined the Republican revolutionary movement in Northern Yemen and supported the “26 September revolution” against the

Imamat The term imamate or ''imamah'' (, ''imāmah'') means "leadership" and refers to the office of an ''imam'' or a Muslim theocratic state ruled by an ''imam''. Theology *Imamate in Shia doctrine, the doctrine of the leadership of the Muslim commu ...

. In November 1962, he was appointed as the first Director General of the Yemen Bank for Reconstruction and Development and a member of the Supreme Council for Economic Affairs. He subsequently acted as Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of the Economy and member of the High Committee for Planning from 1965 to 1967, and played a crucial role during the “70 days siege of Sanaa” in 1967. Between 1968 and 1971, Al-Attar was the Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Yemen at the United Nations in New York; he was appointed to this position again in 1973. He held the rank of Ambassador when he represented Yemen at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund conferences in 1971, and at the 1972 General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. In December 1973, Al-Attar was appointed Executive Secretary of the newly established United Nations Economic Commission for Western Asia (currently ESCWA) with the rank of United Nations Under-Secretary General. He held this position until 1985 when he returned to the Arab Republic of Yemen. Before and after Yemeni reunification, he served in the government as Acting Prime Minister (1994), Deputy Prime Minister (1985–1990, 1992–1994, 1995–1997), Minister of Development (1985–1990), President of the Central Planning Body (1985), Minister of Industry (1990–1992), President of the General Investment Authority (1992–1993) and Minister of Petrol and Mineral resources (1995–1997). Between 1997 and 2002, Al-Attar was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Yemen to 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 ...

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

. Muhammad Said Al-Attar died on 20 November 2005 in

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

where he was receiving medical treatment. In 2007, Faysal Al-Oubuthani wrote in

Al-Hayat ''Al-Hayat'' ( ''Life'') was an Arabic newspaper based in Beirut from its founding 28 January 1946 to 1976 and in London after its refounding in 1988. It was a pan-Arab newspaper owned by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan, that had a circulation ...

newspaper: “We must recognise for a moment what this Yemeni man has given his country and all the Arab countries. A cultured economist fluent in foreign languages who has worked tirelessly to elevate the name of his country in international and regional fora while striding to gain respect for all Arab countries. Those who knew him closely and worked under his supervision can testify to the praise and recognition he gained from international economists and officials of several international organizations.”http://www.alhayat.com/article/1241173 Al-Attar was a member of the International Sociological Association (Madrid), the International Institute for Economic Sciences (Geneva), the Third World Forum (Dakar) and the Arabic Center for Studies (Amman).

Honours

Muhammad Said Al-Attar received the Legion of Honour (Ordre National de la Légion d'honneur, highest French order of merit).

Publications

Author of “Le sous-développement économique et social du Yemen: perspectives de la révolution yéménite” He published articles and studies in various newspapers and magazines, including “Le Monde” (Paris), “Politique Etrangere” (Paris), “Economie et Humanisme” (Paris), “Revolution Africaine” (Alger), “ Al-Ahram” and “Al-Taliah” (Cairo), “Dirassat Arabia” (Beirut) and “Jeune Afrique” (Paris).

References

External links

Saba NetUN ESCWAAl-HayatAl-HayatAl-Hayat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Attar, Muhammad Said al- 1927 births 2005 deaths Prime ministers of Yemen 20th-century Yemeni politicians Attas Cabinet Abdulghani Cabinet University of Paris alumni Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Economy ministers of Yemen Permanent representatives of Yemen to the United Nations Industry and trade ministers of Yemen Oil and mineral ministers of Yemen Recipients of the Legion of Honour