Professor Kader Asmal (South Africa) is President of the Financial Action Task Force (the leading anti-money laundering body) for 2005 – 2006. He has been a Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of South Africa since 1994, Minister of Education (1999 – 2004), Minister of Water Affairs (1994 – 1999), Chairperson of the Cabinet’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (1995 – 2004), Chair of the Portfolio Committee on Defence in the National Assembly and Chairman of the Intergovernmental Committee of experts at UNESCO negotiating the draft Convention on Cultural Diversity (2004 – 2005).
Prior to his return to South Africa from exile in 1990, he was a law professor at Trinity College (Dublin) for 27 years, specialising in human rights, labour, and international law. Professor Asmal was also founder of the British Anti-Apartheid Movement (1960) as well as the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement and chairperson (1963-1991).
He was rapporteur of UN International conferences on apartheid in Havana (1976), Lagos (1977), and Paris (1986). He was vice-president of the World Commission on the Oceans (1995 - 1998) and chairperson of the World Commission on Dams (1997 – 2001).
He has been a Patron of the Global Water Partnership since 1995. Professor Asmal was awarded the Prix UNESCO for human rights in 1983, the Stockholm Water Prize in 2000 and numerous other awards.
In 2005, he was made an officer of the Order of the Légion d’honneur by President Chirac. He has written or co-edited eight books, written nearly 40 chapters in books, 60 articles on apartheid, decolonisation, Ireland, labour law and the environment.
He has studied at the University of South Africa, London School of Economics, King’s Inns (Dublin) and Lincoln’s Inn (London).