Biographical Note

NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF CROATIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS

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

The new Permanent Representative of Croatia, Neven Jurica, presented his credentials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today.

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Jurica served as his country’s Ambassador to the United States (June 2004 to January 2008) and was a Member of Croatia’s Parliament, where he was the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee (2003-2004).

In the course of his career, Mr. Jurica also served as Croatia’s Ambassador to Australia and New Zealand (1992-1995), Bulgaria (1996-1997) and Norway (1998-2000).  He was also the Spokesman of Croatia’s Government (1997-1998).

In the first democratic elections in Croatia in 1990, Mr. Jurica was elected to the Parliament, where he served as the Chairman of the Human Rights Committee (1990-1992).  A founding member of the Croatian Democratic Union, he served as Political Secretary of that organization from 1989 to 1992 and from 2000 to 2004.

Mr. Jurica is a member of the Croatian Writers’ Association and P.E.N. (poets, playwrights, essayists, editors and novelists) and is fluent in English and French.  As a professional writer, from 1980 to 1989, he published more than 16 books in the field of literary theory and criticism, along with anthologies of essays and poetry.  During that period, he also presided over a prestigious literary forum, “Literary Friday”.

Educated in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, Mr. Jurica holds a degree in comparative literature and philosophy and a master of arts in literary theory from the University of Zagreb.

Mr. Jurica is married, with two children.

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