Global perspective Human stories

Ban Ki-moon announces appointments of three top UN officials

Ban Ki-moon announces appointments of three top UN officials

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced his intention to appoint three new top officials, with two positions in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) and one as head of the world body's Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Edmond Mulet of Guatemala, who currently serves as the Secretary-General's Special Representative in Haiti as well as head of MINUSTAH, will become the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, effective 1 September.

Prior to his service to the UN, Mr. Mulet was both a diplomat ? having been posted as Ambassador both to the European Union and the United States ? and member of Guatemala's National Congress for 12 years.

He will replace Hédi Annabi of Tunisia, who in turn will assume Mr. Mulet's current position in Haiti.

Mr. Annabi, who joined the UN in 1981, has been Assistant Secretary-General for over a decade. Outside of DPKO, he has worked in the Office of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs in South-East Asia. He was also actively involved in contributing to a comprehensive political settlement in Cambodia as well as the preparations for deploying the UN Transitional Authority (UNTAC) in the country.

The new Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions in DPKO will be Dmitry Titov of Russia.

Since joining the world body in 1991, Mr. Titov has extensive experience in many facets of UN peacekeeping operations, including Angola, and Mozambique. He led the UN team in successful discussions with the Sudanese Government and the African Union on the creation of the Darfur heavy support package and the AU/UN hybrid operation.