Secretary-General selects experienced UN official to head office in Sierra Leone

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the experienced United Nations official Michael v. der Schulenburg as his Acting Executive Representative in Sierra Leone, the West African nation trying to rebuild with the help of the United Nations after a protracted civil war and years of misrule.

Mr. Schulenburg, who assumed his duties on Tuesday, succeeds Victor da Silva Angelo, who is now the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR).

Since joining the UN in 1978, the German national has served in a variety of posts, from political affairs to peacekeeping and peacebuilding to social, humanitarian and development operations.

Most recently he was Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Iraq, with responsibility for political affairs.

In his new post Mr. Schulenburg also becomes the head of the UN Integrated Office in Sierra Leone (UNIOSIL), which has been in place since the start of 2006.