Biographical Note

SUKEHIRO HASEGAWA APPOINTED AS Head of un Office in TIMOR-LESTE

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has appointed Sukehiro Hasegawa (Japan) as Head of the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste, UNOTIL, established by resolution 1599 (2005) adopted by the Security Council on 28 April 2005.  The appointment is with effect from 21 May 2005, when the mandate of UNOTIL entered into force.  Mr. Hasegawa thus continues to serve as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste, having succeeded Kamalesh Sharma (India) as Head of the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor (UNMISET) on 21 May 2004.

Mr. Hasegawa has served with the United Nations since 1969.  He has since held several senior positions within the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and United Nations peacekeeping operations, including Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Nepal, from 1978 to 1980, and in Indonesia, from 1980 to 1984.  He later served as UNDP Resident Representative and Resident Coordinator of the United Nations operational activities for development in Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau.  In 1993, Mr. Hasegawa managed the United Nations Volunteer electoral supervisors assigned to plan and administer general elections in Cambodia.  In April 1994, he was appointed Director of Policy and Planning of the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia, and in January 1995, he became the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Rwanda.  He subsequently served as the Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at UNDP in New York.

Mr. Hasegawa has been serving as the United Nations Resident Coordinator for Timor-Leste since July 2002, and previously served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Deputy Head of UNMISET from 1 July 2002 to 20 May 2004.

Mr. Hasegawa holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Michigan, a Master of Arts degree in public administration from the InternationalChristianUniversity of Tokyo, and a Ph.D. in international relations from WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis, Missouri.

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*     This press release supersedes Press Release BIO/3573 of 28 May 2004.