ABDENNOUR ABROUS

1934 - 2020

ABROUS--Abdennour. Abdennour Nory Abrous. (September 15, 1934 - April 16, 2020). It is with great sadness that the Abrous Family announces the passing of Abdennour Nory Abrous on April 16, 2020 at the NYU Langone Hospital. He was 85. Son of a Sufi and a former leader in the Algerian independence movement, Abdennour Abrous never ceased believing in freedom and the power of the spirit. After helping to lead the Algerian struggle for independence from France, he spent nearly 30 years as an international civil servant, including over two decades at the United Nations. He was born September 15, 1934 in Oujda (Morocco) of Algerian parents from a prominent family in Kabylia (Algeria) steeped in Sufi tradition tracing back to Muslim Spain. After obtaining his Baccalaureat in Experimental Sciences, Abdennour Abrous studied in Toulouse (France) where he passed with Honors the competitive exam to the prestigious French National Veterinary Schools. In solidarity with the Algerian students striking in support of the struggle for independence, he resigned from the Veterinary School (Maison Alfort, Paris) in 1956. As a student leader, he served as Secretary General of the Union of Algerian Students (UGEMA - Toulouse Chapter). Invited to participate in the Foreign Student Leadership Project in the US funded by the Ford Foundation, he became a student emissary for the Algerian Independence cause. Nory obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics from the University of Missouri, Colombia, and a Master of Arts Degree in International Relations and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. In 1961, he was recruited by the Provisional Government of the Republic of Algeria (GPRA) and became its Ambassador to South East Asia, based in Indonesia. After the Independence of Algeria in July 1962, Abdennour held several posts of responsibility within the Algerian Administration, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Planning Board and the Ministry of Information. He started his career as an International Civil Servant in 1966, when he was appointed Director, Information Department of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) based in Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia). He subsequently joined the United Nations Secretariat in New York in July 1972. As Director of the UN Center Against Apartheid, he contributed to spearheading the global movement against Apartheid in South Africa. He managed concurrently the United Nations Educational and Training Program for Southern Africa and the United Nations Trust Fund for South Africa which provided assistance to South African Political prisoners and their families. With the peaceful advent of a non-racial and democratic South Africa in 1994, he was appointed Director for General Assembly Affairs, Decolonization and the Trusteeship Council. Nory was fluent in English, French, classical Arabic, Berber and Spanish, with knowledge of Russian and Indonesian. He played many sports including soccer, basketball, and tennis. He was a member of the Ukrainian Nationals team in Philadelphia that won the 1960-61 championship of the American Soccer League. He was passionate about classical music, played the violin, and was an avid chess player. In the mid-1980s, he formed the Chess Club at the New York Athletic Club, where he was a member for many years. Most of all, he loved to laugh and to spend time with his family. Nory Abrous leaves behind his wife of 50 years, Malika (Abdoun) and three children: Hania Abrous-McCarthy, Leila Abrous-Sasanka, and Mehdi Abrous and their respective families, including seven grandchildren. A memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Diabetes Foundation in his memory. www.diabetes.org/donate/ donate-memorial