Dr. Ibrahim Shihata was a dedicated and energetic advocate of a world without poverty.

Ibrahim was one of our own. He touched many lives. He dedicated his efforts to the development of the countries of the South and endeavored to spur the North-South dialogue with the aim of securing a genuine multilateral consensus to building a better world. He authored many of the accomplishments we are proud of today. He will be missed by all of us, by his close associates, and, indeed, by the larger group of people who did not have the opportunity to meet him in person.
Dr. Y. Seyyid Abdulai, Director-General, OPEC Fund

Dr. Ibrahim F.I. Shihata, the first Director-General of the OPEC Fund, passed away on May 28, 2001, in Washington D.C., U.S.A.

A man of principle, vision and genuine compassion for the plight of the poor and disadvantaged, Dr. Shihata was an inspiration to all who had the privilege to work with him. Few who had this honor could fail to appreciate his profound mental acuity, his hands-on attention to detail and his absolute dedication to the cause of the South.

During his tenure at the OPEC Fund, from its inception in 1976 until July 1983, Shihata's was the guiding hand that molded its transformation from a temporary development assistance facility into a permanent institution. It was under his stewardship that the OPEC Special Fund, as it was originally known, grew steadily into a strong moral force, acting independently on the world stage and beholden to no single constituency.

Born in Egypt in 1937, Shihata graduated from Cairo University Law School in 1957 and obtained a doctorate in juridical science from Harvard in 1964. After a brief spell (1964-66) on the law faculty at Cairo's Ain Shams University, Shihata took up the position of Legal Adviser and General Counsel to the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development. There he developed the astute management and diplomatic skills that were to stand him in good stead in his exacting roles as Director-General of the OPEC Fund and, simultaneously, as Director on the Executive Board of the fledgling International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). It was Shihata's zeal in pursuing creation of these two institutions that singled him out as an individual truly committed to creating a better life for the world's poor.

Following his departure from the OPEC Fund in 1983, Shihata served as General Counsel for the World Bank and Secretary-General of the International Center for Settlement of Investment Disputes at a time of unprecedented institutional reform and policy transformation. For years he also directed research through his role as trustee of the Washington Institute on International and Foreign Trade Law and of the Oxford-based Center of Research on the New International Economic Order. And it was under his guidance that the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency was inaugurated. Dr. Shihata, who authored almost 30 books and more than 200 essays, retired in 2000 as Senior Vice-President and Special Adviser to the World Bank's President.

Shortly before his death, on April 9, 2001, Dr. Shihata was awarded the highest academic - tribute a scholar can receive. In recognition of his contribution to the law of international finance and development, a Liber Amicorum was presented to him at the World Bank. Over 40 prominent scholars, as well as friends and colleagues from within the development arena, including the OPEC Fund's present Director-General, Dr. Y. Seyyid Abdulai, contributed essays to the book in his honor.

At the OPEC Fund, Ibrahim Shihata will always be remembered for his unwavering commitment and invaluable contribution towards the alleviation of poverty in the South, his integrity of character and total devotion to his mission. His loss will be keenly felt by all his friends and associates.

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