Sukehiro Hasegawa, the current deputy of the United Nations mission in Timor-Leste, has been named the new chief of the UN operation following an exchange of letters between Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council.

Mr. Hasegawa, a national of Japan, succeeds Kamalesh Sharma of India as the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET). As Deputy Special Representative, he also functioned as the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Resident Coordinator.

Prior to joining UNMISET, Mr. Hasegawa was UNDP's special adviser on crime prevention and recovery in Geneva. He had worked for UNDP since 1969, holding senior posts with the agency in Rwanda, Cambodia, Nepal and Indonesia, and has served with the UN peacekeeping mission in Somalia.