Claudette Werleigh
| Claudette Werleigh | |
|---|---|
| 7th Prime Minister of Haiti | |
|
In office November 7, 1995 – March 6, 1996 |
|
| President | Jean-Bertrand Aristide |
| Preceded by | Smarck Michel |
| Succeeded by | Rosny Smarth |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religions | |
|
In office November 8, 1994 – November 7, 1995 |
|
| President | Jean-Bertrand Aristide |
| Preceded by | Charles Anthony David |
| Succeeded by | Fritz Longchamp |
|
In office September 1, 1993 – May 16, 1994 |
|
| President | Jean-Bertrand Aristide |
| Preceded by | François Benoit |
| Succeeded by | Charles Anthony David |
| Minister of Social Affairs | |
|
In office March 16, 1990 – August 24, 1990 |
|
| President | Ertha Pascal-Trouillot |
| Preceded by | Camille D. Sylaire |
| Succeeded by | Carlo Désinor |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Claudette Antoine September 26, 1946 Cap-Haïtien, Haiti |
| Spouse(s) | Georges Werleigh |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Claudette Werleigh (born 26 September 1946) was Prime Minister of Haïti from November 7, 1995 to March 6, 1996. She was Haiti's first female Prime Minister.
In 1999 Werleigh became Director at the Life & Peace Institute in Uppsala, Sweden, and then in 2007 Secretary General and in 2010 Peace Envoy of the Catholic peace organization Pax Christi International in Brussels, Belgium.
Claudette was born in 1946, in Cap-Haïtien in a well-to-do family. Her parents exported coffee and in addition her mother had a shop. Her father was a former MP, but withdrew from politics before Claudette was born. Claudette went to elementary and secondary schools run by nuns, studied diverse subjects, including medicine and pedagogy, in Spain, the US, Mexico and Haiti and she obtained a license in law and economics at the university in Port-au-Prince. In 1978 she was registered as a lawyer
In 1968-70 Werleigh worked as a medical technician and chemist in the US, in 1971-73 as a physiologist in Switzerland and in 1973-74 as an adult educator in Haiti. In 1970, she married George Werleigh, a professor of economics and a prominent figure in the social-democratic party PANPRA (the National Progressive Revolutional Haitian Party). The couple had two daughters.
Werleigh engaged in social and educational work in a number of non governmental organizations in the fields of adult literacy and humanitarian relief. In 1975 she joined Catholic Emergency Aid for Haiti and was from 1976 to 1987 Secretary General in Haiti National Caritas, travelling all around the country. From 1983 to 1987 she was Caribbean Coordinator for Caritas International. In 1979, Werleigh founded ITECA (Institute of Technology and Animation) one of Haiti's most important educational organizations.
She helped found the League for women's empowerment ("Lig Pouvwa Fanm"), an organization of women seeking political and economic equality and promoting women's participation in politics. It was important to bridge the gulf separating different worlds, the poor and the affluent, women and power structures. Women were the backbone of society and had a great capacity for peace-making
From 1990 onwards Werleigh became active in public administration and politics in Haiti. From March to August 1990 she was Minister of Social Affairs as an independent in President Ertha Pascal-Trouillot's interim government. When Aristide became President, Werleigh joined Prime Minister Rene Preval's private cabinet in 1991 and was engaged in the Lavalas movement in support of the president. From July 1992 to October 1993, she was the executive director of the Washington office on Haiti, doing advocacy and lobbying. In 1993-95 she was Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religions in the Malval and Michel governments. She then served as Prime Minister for a hundred days in 1995-96. Her task was to strengthen the leadership of the country and organize democratic presidential elections.
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Wikipedia