Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Fidele Sarassoro of Côte d’Ivoire Deputy

Special Representative in Democratic Republic of Congo

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Fidele Sarassoro of Côte d’Ivoire as his Deputy Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.  He succeeds Ross Mountain of New Zealand.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Mountain for his excellent leadership and dedicated humanitarian service, and for his contribution to improved coordination of the United Nations system in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Mr. Sarassoro has broad experience in coordinating humanitarian action and in managing recovery and poverty reduction programmes in Africa.  In addition, throughout the course of his career, he has established strategic donor partnerships with organizations such as the World Bank, the European Union, and others to fund programmes in support of democratic governance and the agricultural sector.  Since 2006, he has served as United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Ethiopia, where he spearheaded the establishment of a high-level coordination mechanism to address access and humanitarian delivery issues for humanitarian actors.  He led United Nations reform and enhanced coordination in one of Africa’s largest United Nations Country Teams and advanced aid effectiveness as co-chair of the Development Assistance Group, the consortium of donors in Ethiopia.  From 2002 to 2006, Mr. Sarassoro served as United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Togo, where he assisted the Government in the formulation of key governance-related reforms.

Mr. Sarassoro’s prior experience includes service with the United Nations Office for Project Services, the United Nations Capital Development Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Mr. Sarassoro holds a PhD. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois and a Bachelor in Economics degree from the Université de Côte d’Ivoire.

Born in 1960, he is married and has three daughters.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record