NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TUVALU PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TUVALU PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

(Based on information received from the Protocol and Liaison Service.)

The new Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the United Nations, Enele Sosene Sopoaga, presented his credentials today to Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Before his present appointment, Mr. Sopoaga was Tuvalu High Commissioner to Fiji and concurrently High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea and Samoa.

From 1995 to 1996, he was Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Sports and Human Resource Development in Funafuti, Tuvalu.  From 1992 to 1995, he was Permanent Secretary and European Union National Authorizing Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economic Planning.  He served in an acting capacity in the latter post from 1991 to 1992.

Other positions held by Mr. Sopoaga included Assistant Secretary and European Union National Authorizing Officer, Department of Foreign Affairs (three years), and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Economic Planning (two years), both between 1986 and 1991.  He was Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Social Services in 1986, and before then served as Education Administrator in the same Ministry from 1980 to 1986.

He has represented his country in governing bodies of a number of regional organizations in the Pacific, including Forum Officials Committee, Pacific Islands Forum of Leaders (1998 to 1999); and Committee of Representatives of Governments and Administrations of the Pacific Community (formerly known as the South Pacific Commission).  He was also a member of the Subcommittee which reviewed the work of the South Pacific Commission for Geo-scientific Research (1997-1998).

Mr. Sopoaga has participated in a number of regional and international conferences, including meetings of the Pacific Islands Forum, African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) States, and the European Union Joint Convention on the Future of the Lomé Convention on trade and aid at Maastricht, Netherlands; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) General Conference, United Nations World Summit on the Advancement of Women in Beijing, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Governing Council.

Mr. Sopoaga has a Master of Arts degree from the University of Sussex in England (1994), and a Certificate in Diplomatic Studies from Oxford University (1990).  He is a member of the Pacific Islands Association, London, and member of the Oxford University Society, Oxford.

Born on 10 February 1956, Mr. Sopoaga is married with three children.