Dame Margaret Anstee

Dame Margaret Anstee was a pioneering British diplomat and international civil servant who served the United Nations for over four decades. She is best known for becoming the first woman to head a United Nations peacekeeping mission, serving as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Angola during the early 1990s. Her distinguished career encompassed high-level roles in development, administration, and conflict resolution across Latin America, Africa, and Europe, earning her a reputation as a formidable and compassionate advocate for global cooperation.

Early life and education

Margaret Joan Anstee was born on 25 June 1926 in Horsham, West Sussex. Her father, a Royal Air Force officer, was killed in action during the Second World War, an event that profoundly shaped her worldview. She won a scholarship to Newnham College, Cambridge, where she read modern languages, becoming one of the first women from her social background to attend the University of Cambridge. After graduating, she initially worked for the British Council in Madrid before joining the newly formed United Nations in 1952, a decision that launched her lifelong international career.

Career in the United Nations

Anstee's early UN postings were with the Technical Assistance Administration in Bolivia and Peru, where she gained deep experience in economic development and grassroots projects. She held increasingly senior positions, including Director of the United Nations Centre for Social Development and Humanitarian Affairs in Vienna and Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). In 1987, she was appointed an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, one of the highest ranks in the international civil service. Her most historic assignment came in 1992 when Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali named her his Special Representative to the United Nations Angola Verification Mission (UNAVEM II), making her the first woman to lead a United Nations peacekeeping operation. Operating in the treacherous aftermath of the Angolan Civil War, she faced immense challenges implementing the Bicesse Accords amid collapsing ceasefires and intransigent parties, including UNITA and the MPLA government.

Post-UN career and later life

After retiring from the United Nations in 1993, Anstee remained deeply engaged in international affairs. She served as a consultant to the World Bank and the European Commission, and was a visiting professor at the University of Cambridge and the London School of Economics. She authored several books, including her acclaimed memoir, Never Learn to Type: A Woman at the United Nations, which detailed her pioneering career and the complexities of Angola's peace process. She was a frequent commentator on United Nations reform and conflict resolution, and served as a trustee for organizations like the International Alert and the United Nations Association of the United Kingdom. Dame Margaret Anstee died in London on 25 August 2016.

Honours and legacy

Margaret Anstee was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 1992 New Year Honours for her services to the United Nations. She also received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru and was made an Officer of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín in Argentina. Her legacy is that of a trailblazer who broke the glass ceiling in international diplomacy and United Nations peacekeeping. The Margaret Anstee Centre for Global Studies at Newnham College, Cambridge was established in her honour to promote research on global issues, ensuring her commitment to international public service continues to inspire future generations.

Category:1926 births Category:2016 deaths Category:British diplomats Category:United Nations officials Category:Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire