Annan names senior UN official Secretary-General of Conference on Disarmament

The head of the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, Sergei Ordzhonikidze, has been appointed Secretary-General of the UN’s main multilateral forum for disarmament negotiations, a UN spokesperson announced today in New York.

Mr. Ordzhonikidze, who was named Director General of the UN Office at Geneva last month, was appointed to the Conference on Disarmament after UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan consulted with the multilateral body itself, the spokesperson said.

In his new capacity, Mr. Ordzhonikidze will also act as the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Geneva-based Conference. Prior to his UN roles, he was Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation.