Embassy of Namibia in France

Bilateral meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Namibia and France 🇳🇦 🇫🇷

The Hon. Amb. Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, Minister of International Relations and Trade, met with the Hon. Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, on the sidelines of the Africa Forward Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, on 12 May 2026.

The Ministers held fruitful discussions on the excellent bilateral relations between Namibia and France, reaffirming their shared commitment to further strengthening economic, cultural and multilateral cooperation. They also exchanged views on investment opportunities, peace and security, and the reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Minister Ashipala-Musavyi highlighted Namibia’s national priorities, noting that the Summit’s themes strongly align with Namibia’s strategic interests, including agriculture, youth employment, skills development, creative industries and innovation.

On multilateral cooperation, Minister Ashipala-Musavyi expressed appreciation to the Government of France for its recognition of the State of Palestine and expressed hope that other countries would follow suit.

The two Ministers also discussed the Women, Peace and Security Agenda, with Namibia having been at the forefront initiating the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and France having been a strong supporter of this milestone resolution. They reaffirmed their commitment to continue advocating for its full implementation.

Minister Ashipala-Musavyi conveyed H.E. the President’s warm greetings to President Emmanuel Macron and reiterated the invitation extended to him to undertake a visit to Namibia.

Careers at UNESCO 🇳🇦 🇺🇳

In view of Namibia’s current underrepresentation within the prescribed range at UNESCO, the Namibian Embassy in Paris wishes to bring to the attention of suitably qualified Namibian nationals the re-advertised position of Assistant Director-General (ADG) for Culture, accessible via the link provided below. Interested candidates are invited to submit their applications no later than 04 May 2026.

https://careers.unesco.org/job/Paris-Assistant-Director-General-for-Culture-%28re-advertisement%29/1357258757

🇳🇦 Meeting with Namibians stationed at INTERPOL 🇫🇷

Deputy Commissioners Mr. Immanuel Sam and Dr. Jeannette Haufiku paid a visit to the Namibian Embassy in Paris yesterday. Both Namibian nationals are currently stationed at the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) headquarters in Lyon, France.

They briefed the mission on their work, including the 4 key intergovernmental global programmes addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges: terrorism; cybercrime; organized and emerging crime; financial crime and anti-corruption.

The Mission wishes them every success in the fulfilment of their duties.

Courtesy Call by students from the United Nations and African Associations of Sciences Po 🇳🇦🌍

The Embassy recently had the pleasure of hosting students from the United Nations and African Associations at Sciences Po, one of France’s leading institutions in public policy and diplomacy. The African Association brings together students, both African and non-African, to promote dialogue on political, economic and cultural issues related to the African continent, while the United Nations Association seeks to bridge the gap between students and professionals in the diplomatic field.

The students demonstrated a keen interest in Namibia and strong intellectual curiosity, engaging us in thoughtful discussions on the country’s foreign policy, development trajectory, gender dynamics and regional power structures, as well as the broader global challenges shaping today’s political landscape.

Through such engagements, the Embassy advances its public diplomacy objectives by promoting informed dialogue and cultivating long-term partnerships with future decision-makers.

Presentation of Credentials to the French Republic 🇳🇦 🇫🇷

On 25 March 2026, Ambassador Sabine Böhlke-Möller was honoured to present her letters of credence to H.E. President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace, thus accrediting her as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Namibia to the French Republic.

The Presentation of Credentials Ceremony is a formal accreditation process for Ambassadors serving as heads of diplomatic missions.

During the ceremony, the Ambassador conveyed warm greetings from H.E. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, President of Namibia to President Macron and reaffirmed Namibia’s commitment to strengthening the longstanding ties between the two nations. President Macron warmly welcomed Her Excellency and affirmed his desire to visit Namibia, and to continue to enhance the excellent cooperation between the two nations.

Meeting with WOAH 🇳🇦🌍

During a visit to the headquarters of the World Organisation for Animal Health, H.E. Sabine Böhlke-Möller, Ambassador of Namibia to France, accompanied by Ms. Mario Munwela, Counsellor, paid a courtesy call on Dr. Emmanuelle Soubeyran, Director General of WOAH, together with Mr. Pierre Cangah.

The meeting provided an opportunity for constructive discussions on avenues to strengthen cooperation between Namibia and WOAH. Given that agriculture remains one of the most important sectors in Namibia, enhanced collaboration with WOAH is of strategic importance particularly in advancing animal health, disease prevention, veterinary standards, and capacity building.

Careers at UN Tourism 🇳🇦 🇺🇳

The Namibian Embassy in Paris is pleased to invite all suitably qualified Namibians to apply for the post of IT Operations Specialist (Web Maintenance Support) for UN Tourism at the below link:

https://pre-webunwto.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/webimages/5.CFE_.WebMaintananceSupport.ICTC_..pdf

Applications close on 26 March 2026 and start date is ASAP.

🇳🇦 Meeting with Spanish Introducer of Ambassadors 🇪🇸

Introducer of Ambassadors is one of the oldest positions in the Spanish administration, existing since the reign of Philip IV. H.E. Sabine Böhlke-Möller, Ambassador -designate of Namibia to Spain met with Ambassador Adrián Martín Couce, who is commissioned with receiving foreign ambassadors on their arrival to Spain and, upon receiving their copies of style, authorises the start of their work in our country, although this cannot be fully developed until their letters of credence are handed over to His Majesty.

Presentation of Credentials to UN Tourism 🇳🇦 🇺🇳

On 18 March 2026, H.E. Sabine Böhlke-Möller, Ambassador-designate to Spain, presented her letters of credence to H.E. Shaika Nasser Al Nuwais, Secretary-General of UN Tourism. This ceremonial event marked the strengthening of diplomatic relations and Namibia’s ongoing commitment to international tourism cooperation.
During the meeting with UN Tourism Secretary-General, the Permanent Representative extended her appreciation to the Secretary General for the robust support Namibia continues to receive from UN Tourism, especially in programmes such as the National Spatial Development Plan and the drafting of the Namibia Tourism Investment Strategy.
Namibia remains actively engaged in the organization and was elected for the third time as member of the UN Tourism Executive Council during the 66th Commission for Africa (CAF) meeting in July 2023, for the 2023-2027 term. The position places Namibia in a key decision-making role regarding global tourism policy, sustainability and development.
The discussion further covered Namibia’s need for statistics in tourism, greater skills transfer within the tourism-related sectors, especially for women and youth, the integration of AI in the sector and employment possibilities for Namibians with the UN Tourism Organization.
Both parties expressed satisfaction about the Colour Cultures initiative, which is supported by UN Tourism and the TUI Care Foundation and was concluded on 4 March 2026. This programme aims to empower local actors to generate income, protect heritage and shape their own development. In Namibia 50 Khwe artisans, will be benefit from strengthening their skills, increased visibility and improved access to sustainable tourism value chains.
The UNWTO comprises 160 member states and over 500 affiliate members, with its headquarters in Madrid. The priorities of the UNWTO include enhancing the socio-economic value of tourism, putting tourism on the global agenda, promoting sustainable tourism, increasing competitiveness, disseminating knowledge, and building capacity. Namibia joined the UNWTO in 1997 .

Namibia’s participation at the Second Nuclear Summit 🇳🇦 🇫🇷

On 10 March 2026, France hosted the 2nd Nuclear Summit in Paris, bringing together global leaders to share their perspectives on advancing civil nuclear power to address ongoing energy and climate challenges.
H.E. President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah delegated Dr. Sh*taleni Herman, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Board of Namibia, to represent Her Excellency, and to lead the Namibian delegation at the Summit.
Dr. Herman seized the opportunity not only to interact with fellow Summit participants, but also to engage with relevant institutions in Paris, such as the World Bank, the Africa Development Bank and the Íslandsbanki, strengthening Namibia’s international ties in the nuclear sector.
During a panel discussion, Dr. Herman highlighted the crucial role of multilateralism in the sensitive and complex field of nuclear energy. He explained that, like many nations, Namibia views nuclear energy as a key solution to persistent energy poverty, and advancement of Namibia socio-economic agenda. Dr. Herman showcased Namibia’s recent advancements, focusing on the country’s recently concluded Nuclear Industry Strategy, and called for strategic partnerships to help realize Namibia’s vision. He emphasized the need for resource beneficiation and skills development as central pillars in Namibia’s push for progress in the nuclear sector.

In a meeting with the International
Energy Agency (IEA) the delegation discussed opportunities for nuclear energy to address energy security and climate concerns – and all critical elements needed to pursue
these opportunities, including policies, innovation and financing. Although nuclear energy has faced a number of challenges in recent years, the meeting agreed that it is making a strong comeback, with rising investment, new technology advances and supportive policies.

The delegation also met with Mr Jean-Jacques Gautier, President of Evocati Alliance Consulting, a group of consultants with a wealth of experience in the full value chain of uranium. The delegation explores opportunities that can add value to the preparatory work for a future nuclear power program, integrating this work with the IAEA Milestone approach for nuclear power programme.

During a meeting with managers at Orano Headquarters, the latter announced the possible reopening of the Orano Trekkopje Mine in 2030 with a projected output of 1100 tons of uranium ore. Orano Mining remains one of the leaders in the nuclear fuel value chain, including mining, uranium conversion and enrichment, fuel production and radioactive waste and spent fuel management. The delegation discussed Orano’s outlook for uranium mining in Namibia and prospects for value addition beyond uranium mining. The parties agreed that there are variables that are intrinsic to value addition that need further consideration in future discussions.

Dr Herman was joint by H.E. Sabine Böhlke-Möller, Ambassador-designate of Namibia to France, Ms Mario Munwela, Counsellor, Mr Colin Namalambo, Member of the Board and Mr Axel Tibinyane, Head of the Regulator and Secretariat of the Board.