Secretary-General appoints new UN Controller

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today that he is appointed Japan’s Jun Yamazaki as Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Programme Planning, Budgets and Accounts, and Controller.

Mr. Yamazaki replaces Warren Sach, who now assumes the role of Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services, where he will be responsible for procurement, among other functions. He will also remain the Secretary-General’s Representative for Pension Fund investments.

In a note accompanying the announcement, Mr. Ban praised Mr. Sach for his dedicated service as Assistant Secretary-General and Controller and said he “appreciates the strong sense of commitment and professionalism shown consistently by Mr. Sach in the fulfilment of his responsibilities.”

Mr. Yamazaki has extensive experience in the UN budget process, having been a member of the UN Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) from 2003 to 2007.

He is also familiar with broad management-related issues at the UN through his service with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Japan, where he has worked for many years in a series of posts, including one that dealt with the dispatch of Japanese contingents to UN peacekeeping missions.

Mr. Ban said Mr. Yamazaki is “expected to effect budget preparation in a comprehensive and cost-effective manner.” Born in 1956, the Japanese national holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of Tokyo.