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Ban appoints veteran UN official as assistant Secretary-General for peacebuilding support

Oscar Fernández-Taranco.
UN Photo/JC McIlwaine
Oscar Fernández-Taranco.

Ban appoints veteran UN official as assistant Secretary-General for peacebuilding support

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco of Argentina as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of. Oscar Fernandez-Taranco of Argentina as Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support.

Mr. Fernandez-Taranco has worked for the United Nations for over 30 years, both at UN Headquarters and in the field, managing increasingly complex development, political, peacebuilding, human rights and humanitarian operations in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific and Europe.

He has served as Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs in the Department of Political Affairs since July 2009. Prior to that, he served as UN Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania.

From 1994-1998, Mr. Fernandez-Taranco served as Deputy Special Representative of the Administrator in the West Bank and Gaza Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People.

He was also the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director in the Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP from 2001 to 2006 and Resident Representative, UN Resident Coordinator and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Haiti (1998-2001).

In a statement, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson extended the UN chief’s gratitude to Ms. Judy Cheng-Hopkins – who held the Peacebuilding Support post since 2009 - for her dedication and able leadership.