BIO/3805*
GA/AB/3751
13 September 2006
Biographical Note
Youcef Yousfi of Algeria Chairman of Fifth Committee
NEW YORK, 12 September (UN Headquarters) -- The Permanent Representative of Algeria to the United Nations, Youcef Yousfi, was elected Chairman of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) for the sixty-first session of the General Assembly on 7 July this year.
Prior to his New York appointment, Mr. Yousfi served as his country's Ambassador in Canada, a post he took up in 2001. He has also held a number of positions with in the Algerian Government, including Minister-Delegate to the Chief of Government (2000-2001) and a Minister of Foreign Affairs (1999-2001).
In 1996, Mr. Yousfi was appointed Chief of Staff to then President Liamine Zeroual. One year later, he became Minister of Energy and Mines and, in 1997, he was elected to the National People's Assembly. In 1998 and 1999, he served as Chairman of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
At the beginning of his career, Mr. Yousfi was a senior lecturer and then Professor of chemical engineering at the Ecole Nationale Polytechnique d'Algiers, where he was also Director of the Chemistry Institute. He was also in charge of petroleum affairs at the Ministry of Industry and Energy, while carrying out his teaching activities.
In 1985, Mr. Yousfi became Chief Executive Officer of Sonatrach, the national petroleum company, where he had previously served as Vice-President in charge of marketing. He became Chairman of the Board of the Mines, Petroleum and Hydraulics Participation Fund in 1988.
Having graduated from Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Industries Chimique in France, Mr. Yousfi obtained a PhD in physics from Université de Nancy, France, in 1973. He also has a degree in economics.
Born in Batna, Algeria, on 2 October 1941, Mr. Yousfi is married with three children.
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* This supersedes Press Release BIO/3733 of 19 January 2006.
