Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul

Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul served as Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development from 1998 to 2009. She was a member of the national parliament, the German Bundestag, from 1987 until 2013. From 2009 to 2013, she served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs and as the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) Spokesperson for the Subcommittee on the United Nations, International Organizations and Globalization and the Spokesperson for Africa. Prior to her post as Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Ms. Wieczorek-Zeul was a member of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1987, where she was on the Committee on External Relations, focusing on foreign trade and European development policy. She also worked extensively with the SDP, rising to be Deputy Federal Chairwoman from 1993 to 2005. Ms. Wieczorek-Zeul began her career as a teacher at the Friedrich Ebert School and subsequently served as Chairwoman of the European Coordination Bureau of International Youth Organizations from 1977 to 1979. She holds degrees in English and History from Frankfurt University.