Hon. Ambassador Selma Ashipala-Musavyi is a distinguished Namibian diplomat with a career spanning over decades. She has held several key positions, including serving as Namibia’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, where she played a pivotal role in the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security in 2000.
Throughout her career, Hon. Amb. Ashipala-Musavyi has been instrumental in shaping Namibia’s foreign policy and advancing international cooperation. She has served as Namibia’s Ambassador to Austria and High Commissioner to Nigeria, covering the West African region and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). In June 2013, she became the first woman to be appointed as the Permanent Secretary (now Executive Director) in Namibia’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation.
After retiring from public service in 2020, Hon. Amb. Ashipala-Musavyi was appointed as Namibia’s High Commissioner to Ghana, where she has been actively promoting intra-African trade, tourism, and integrated development.
In recognition of her expertise, she has also served as the Chair of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) Board of Trustees and the Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters.
Hon. Amb. Ashipala-Musavyi holds a Master’s degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Keele in the United Kingdom.