Jean-Yves Ollivier was, behind the scenes, the kingpin of the Brazzaville protocol. He is the only foreigner to have received South Africa's highest honors, first in 1987 for organising the first and most important regional prisoner exchange, and then from Nelson Mandela in 1995 for his contribution to peace. Jean-Yves Ollivier has made a career as a commodities trader in China, the Middle East and Africa and has engaged privately in international mediation, using his professional contacts in the service of peace. Among the many other peace mediations in which he has participated, Jean-Yves Ollivier played an important role in the negotiations that facilitated the departure of mercenary Bob Denard from the Comoros in 1989 and in the Sun City talks that led to power sharing in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between President Joseph Kabila and four rebel leaders in 2002. He also played a role in the reconciliation between Uganda and Sudan, paving the way for the independence of Southern Sudan in 2011. Wanting to work in the philanthropic community, he founded Brazzaville Foundation in 2015.
Distinctions
- Grand Officer of the Order of Good Hope by South African President Nelson Mandela (1995)
- Officier de la Légion d'honneur and Chevalier de l'ordre national du Mérite français (1994)
- Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Congo (2014)
- Commander of the Order of Mono in Togo (2011)
- Commander of the National Order of the Lion of Senegal (2020)
- Officer of the Order of the Star of Anjouan, Comoros (2014)
- Officer of the National Order of Niger (2021)
Documentary
Plot for Peace, a 2013 documentary produced by African Oral History Archive and directed by Spanish filmmaker Carlos Agullò, traces Jean-Yves Ollivier's contribution to the peaceful settlement of the conflict in southern Africa. Thanks to the testimonies of the main participants and previously unseen archives, this fascinating historical-political documentary tells the story of how Jean-Yves Ollivier, aka "Mr. Jacques", helped bring about an unprecedented negotiation to achieve peace in Southern Africa. The film became part of the United Nations archives following a screening at headquarters in New York. It also won the Best International Documentary Award at the Galway Film Fleadh and the Brizzolara Foundation Award for Best Film on Conflict Resolution at the Hamptons Film Festival.
Bibliography
Neither seen nor known, Jean-Yves Ollivier has co-written many fascinating pages in the history of the late 20th century. A close friend of Jacques Chirac and Michel Roussin, he played a notable role in the release of the four French hostages held by Hezbollah in Lebanon in 1988. As Jacques Foccart's Missi Dominici in English- and Portuguese-speaking Africa, he initiated successful peace negotiations in southern Africa, leading to the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid. With verve and humor, Jean-Yves Ollivier recounts his life as a "political negotiator" - his self-definition. Fascinating in its freedom of tone and action, this account published in 2014 reveals many of the little secrets that make up the big story.
Commitments
SINCE 2014
- Hostage mediation in Central African Republic
2016
- Presentation of the Congo Basin Blue Fund project at the plenary session of the African Action Summit, organised at COP22, in Marrakech, Kingdom of Morocco
2017
- Intervention to resolve the political crisis following the departure of President Laurent-Désiré Kabila in the Democratic Republic of Congo
- Participation in the signing of the memorandum of understanding on the creation of the Congo Basin Blue Fund, in Oyo, Republic of Congo
2018
- Organisation of the intra-Libyan dialogue in Dakar, Senegal
- Appointment of Goodwill Ambassadors of the Congo Basin Blue Fund
2020
- Organisation of a series of meetings at the highest diplomatic level to prevent possible conflicts in Ivory Coast
- Organisation of the Lomé Summit and the Lomé Initiative against Medicines that kill
2021
- Intervention at the round table at high level "From COP22 to COP26: The Congo Basin Blue Fund, an African and global issue.
- Participation in COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland
2022
- Participation in COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt
2023
- Facilitating Russia-Ukraine dialogue
2024
- Organisation and participation in the first edition of the Marrakesh Meetings
Intra-Libyan dialogue
Fighting medicines that kill
