Biographical Note

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS JEAN-MAURICE RIPERT OF FRANCE

 

AS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Jean-Maurice Ripert of France as Special Envoy for Assistance to Pakistan.  The Special Envoy will report to the Secretary General through the United Nations Development Group Chair.  The position has been established by the Secretary-General to assist the Government of Pakistan and the international community in responding to the present humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction needs relating to the country's displacement crisis.

The Special Envoy will promote, together with the Government of Pakistan and relevant international partners, in particular the Friends of Democratic Pakistan, a strategic, coherent and comprehensive approach to supporting the humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction needs of crisis-affected areas.  Working with the Government of Pakistan and assisted by the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, the Special Envoy will build a comprehensive approach amongst bilateral and international financial institutions to resource mobilization and support to this strategic approach.  As a senior United Nations official in the country, the Special Envoy will implement a comprehensive United Nations approach to returns, recovery and reconstruction.  In this effort, the Special Envoy, the Resident Coordinator and the Humanitarian Coordinator will work closely together.

Mr. Ripert has had a long and distinguished diplomatic career with his Government related to the United Nations and brings to this challenging assignment a wealth of experience in the international fora and a solid track record in consensus building.

Mr. Ripert currently serves as the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in New York.  Prior to this, he was the Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in Geneva.  From 2003 to 2005, he served as the Director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in France, and from 2000 to 2003, he was his country’s Ambassador to Greece.

Mr. Ripert was also a Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2000 and Deputy Director of the United Nations and International Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1997.  He was Consul General in Los Angeles, United States, from 1993 to 1996.  He was Adviser to the Minister for Health and Humanitarian Action from 1992 to 1993 and, before that, served in 1991 as Chief of Staff to the Secretary of State for Humanitarian Action.  During the same year, he also served as Diplomatic Adviser to the Prime Minister and as Technical Adviser from 1998 to 1990.  Mr. Ripert was Second Counsellor at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., from 1986 to 1987.

Mr. Ripert started his career in the service of his country in 1980.  He was born in 1953 and is a graduate of the National School of Administration and the Institute of Political Studies, Paris.

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*     This supersedes BIO/3906 of 16 August 2007.

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