Marianne Young

Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

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6th May 2013 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Press Freedom Day – guest blog by Natasha Tibinyane, MISA Namibia

The year 2013 signals a milestone for African journalists, and Namibian journalists in particular, because it is the 20th Anniversary of World Press Freedom Day. It is a special day for African journalists because, in 1993, the United Nations General Assembly declared 3 May as World Press Freedom Day. This came after African journalists adopted […]

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15th March 2013 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Celebrating the Commonwealth in Namibia

This week is Commonwealth Week – which kicked off with Commonwealth Day on Monday 11 March.To mark the event officially, I joined the other High Commissioners accredited to the Republic of Namibia to travel to State House to deliver Her Majesty the Queen’s annual Commonwealth Message to President Hifikepunye Pohamba. The theme of this year’s […]

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25th January 2013 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

British support to Namibian campaign to tackle ‘baby-dumping’

A front page story of a tragic case of “baby-dumping” – the abandonment of newborn babies often in isolated locations – marked a sad start to the new year in Namibia. Whilst reporting of such heart-breaking cases appears to be on the increase in local papers, no one can provide precise figures as neither infanticide […]

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30th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Tackling sexual violence in Namibia

My day started early yesterday with a breakfast appearance on national TV’s Good Morning Namibia to discuss violence against women and how to tackle it. I was joined by Rachel Coomer from Namibia’s Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), a local legal NGO, which is helping to spearhead the current ‘16 days of activism’ in Namibia running […]

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13th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

British belles on the beat with the Namibian police

It is always a challenge to give official visitors from London a real taste of how a small embassy is delivering results both internally and externally during a lightning visit. This was the issue faced last week, when the High Commission in Windhoek welcomed the Foreign Office’s Human Resources Director Menna Rawlings, senior Human Resources […]

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9th November 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Guest blog by Simon Atkinson, Deputy High Commissioner to Namibia, (based in Cape Town)

As you may remember, though I’m based at the Consulate-General in Cape Town, I’m also accredited as the Deputy High Commissioner in Namibia (to support our team there). The historic visit this week by Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba to South Africa presented me with a rare chance to mix the two roles. On Tuesday (6 […]

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29th October 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Discovering memories of Livingstone alive in the depths of Caprivi

Driving through the bush in Caprivi last week, heading for the magical Nkala Lupala conservancy, I passed a sign pointing down a rough track indicating the David Livingstone Museum. I was surprised. Neither the Regional Governor nor the Mayor of the nearby regional capital Katima Mulilo had mentioned the existence of a British-linked attraction despite […]

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15th October 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

British support to vulnerable children in Caprivi

I am up in Caprivi this week – the thin finger of land in Namibia’s extreme north east that points into the heart of southern Africa and marks the coming together of Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Zimbabwe in a tight bunch of border posts. My visit has proven a fantastic learning experience and given […]

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13th September 2012 Windhoek, Namibia

Marianne Young

by Marianne Young

High Commissioner, Windhoek

Triumphant Paralympic home-coming to Namibia

I spent this morning with Grade One pupils at Moses Garoeb School in Katatura today for the last of my Olympic outreach activities following the closure of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It was a wonderful way to mark what has been a fun-filled programme of events that have enabled me to interact […]

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About Marianne Young

Marianne Young is the current British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia. She arrived in Windhoek in June 2011 and presented her credentials to the President of the Republic of…

Marianne Young is the current British High Commissioner to the
Republic of Namibia. She arrived in Windhoek in June 2011 and presented
her credentials to the President of the Republic of Namibia on 3rd
August.
Mrs Young joined the FCO in 2001 following a career in international
journalism, including time spent running an Asian maritime press office
in Singapore and a traineeship on the UK’s Times newspaper.
Her first role in the FCO was as a Press Officer in News Department,
after which she went on to be Head of the Great Lakes Section in Africa
Directorate and then Head of the East Africa & Horn Section.
In 2005, she became the first Head of Communications for the Engaging with the Islamic World Group.
She moved to the British High Commission in Pretoria in February 2007
and served as the Head of the External Political Section and Deputy
High Commissioner to the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland.
Mrs Young moved across to the British High Commission in Windhoek in
June 2011, and presented her credentials to the President of the
Republic of Namibia on 3rd August 2011.
On her appointment as British High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia, Mrs Young said:
“I am honoured and delighted to be appointed Her Majesty’s High
Commissioner to Namibia. I look forward to working to strengthen the
many commercial, political and cultural ties between our two countries,
and to help the many British nationals who holiday there. My family and I
are particularly thrilled to be remaining in southern Africa – and to
have the opportunity to explore this beautiful country further and
discover more about its people and culture.”
Curriculum vitae

Full name:
Marianne Young

Married to:
Barry Young

Children:
Two daughters and one son

 
June 2011
Windhoek, British High Commissioner

2007 – 2011
 
Pretoria, Head of External Political Section and DHC for the Kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland

2005 – 2006
FCO, Head of Communications, Engaging with the Islamic World Group

2004 – 2005
FCO, Head of East Africa & Horn Section, Africa Directorate

3/2003 – 8/2003
FCO, Head of Great Lakes Section, Africa Directorate

2002 – 2003
FCO, Press Officer, Press Office

2001 – 2002
FCO, Departmental Report Editor, Press Office

2001
Joined FCO

2000-2001
Senior Correspondent, Fairplay Group, UK

1995-2000
Staff Editor and then Asia Editor, Fairplay Group Singapore

1994-1995
Graduate Trainee at The Times newspaper, UK

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