Interview with Abdul Minty: Commonwealth Oral History Project

Interview with Abdul Minty, conducted 12th February 2013 in Geneva as part of the Commonwealth Oral History Project. The project aims to produce a unique digital research resource on the oral history of the Commonwealth since 1965 through sixty oral history interviews with leading figures in the recent history of the organisation. It will provide an essential research tool for anyone investigating the history of the Commonwealth and will serve to promote interest in and understanding of the organisation. Biography: Abdul Minty was born on 31 October 1939 in Hartebeesfontein. Minty was appointed the Honorary Secretary of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM) between 1962 and 1995. He played an important role in lobbying the International Olympic Committee in 1963 for the suspension of the South African Olympic Committee from the Olympics. Minty was also an activist on issues related to disarmament between 1979 and 1994. After the fall of apartheid in 1994, Minty was appointed as the Deputy Director-General for Multilateral Affairs in the Department of Foreign Affairs until 2004. He also oversaw South Africa's new membership of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Commonwealth. He served as a member of the UN Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters from 2001 to 2002. In 2006, Minty was elected president of the IAEA's General Conference as the IAEA marked its 50th anniversary. He is currently Ambassador at South Africa’s Mission in Geneva.