The Council of the Arab League has unanimously approved former Egyptian foreign minister Ahmed Abul Gheit as new secretary-general of the 22-member organization. 

Abul Gheit was born in Cairo on June 12, 1942. He graduated from Ain Shams University in 1964 with a degree in business.

In 1965, Abul Gheit started his career as a diplomat and joined the diplomatic mission in Cyprus in 1968 till 1972 when he was chosen to join the national security advisory office of Egypt's president. 

In 1974, he worked as the second secretary in the Egyptian mission to the United Nations. Later in 1977, he was the first secretary of the foreign minister of Egypt. 

In 1979, he started to work as a political advisor in Egypt’s embassy in Moscow. In 1982, he returned to Cairo as a political advisor to the foreign minister. 

He rose through the ranks and was appointed as the office manager of the Egyptian foreign minister in 1991.

He was appointed Egypt's ambassador to Italy in 1992 and in 1999 he flied to New York to represent Egypt at the UN.

In 2004, he succeeded Ahmed Maher (2001-2004) as Egypt's foreign minister. 

Abul Gheit, 73, will succeed outgoing secretary-general Nabil el Araby, another former Egyptian foreign minister. 

Six of the seven previous secretary generals were Egyptians.

The league maintains its main headquarters in Cairo.

Abul Gheit will assume his responsibilities as secretary-general starting July 2016.

Source : MENA