Joseph Legwaila

Joseph Manson John Legwaila Legwaila (short form Legwaila Joseph Legwaila; born February 2, 1937) is a diplomat and UN staff from Botswana.

Legewaila studied at the University of Alberta in Canada, Politics, History and International Relations, and worked occasionally as a teacher. From 1980 until his appointment as head of the UNMEE mission in 2000, he was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations. He was three times vice president of the UN General Assembly (1981, 1987 and 1991) and represented his country in the Security Council, which he chaired as President for a year 1995/95. He has or has held a number of other diplomatic functions for Botswana in America - among others ambassador to Cuba (1981-2001) and as Consul General in Jamaica (1982-2001) - and has worked on several missions of the UN in Africa. So headed Legewaila of 29 September 2000 to April 2006 as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Ethiopia and Eritrea, UNMEE United Nations Mission in Eritrea and Ethiopia.

Since 1 May 2006, he is Special Adviser for Africa of the United Nations.

Legawaila is married and has three children.