Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Lisa M. Buttenheim (United States)

 

His Special Representative in Cyprus

 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Lisa M. Buttenheim of the United States as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).  She brings to the position extensive experience with the United Nations in the political and peacekeeping areas.

Ms. Buttenheim succeeds Tayé-Brook Zerihoun of Ethiopia, who served in the position from May 2008 to April 2010.  The Secretary-General expresses his appreciation to Mr. Zerihoun for his dedicated service and exemplary leadership of UNFICYP over the last two years.  Mr. Zerihoun also provided invaluable support to the Secretary-General’s mission of good offices, acting as Deputy to his Special Adviser on Cyprus.

Prior to her latest appointment, Ms. Buttenheim was Director of the Middle East and West Asia Divisionin the Department of Political Affairs from January 2009, having previously servedin the same department as Director of theAsia and Pacific Division from January to December 2008, and as Director of the Asia and Middle East Division in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations from April 2004 to December 2007.  She was Director and Head of the United Nations Office in Belgrade from March 2003 to March 2004.

Between May 1997 and February 2003, Ms. Buttenheim served as Senior Political Adviser in the Office of the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.  During that period, she also held assignments as Chief of Staff, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and as Director and Senior Adviser in the Office of the Special Envoy for the Balkans in Geneva.

In addition, she held a number of positions in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General, the Office of the Under-Secretaries-General for Special Political Affairs in New York, and the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO) in Jerusalem, having joined the United Nations in March 1983.

Ms. Buttenheim holds a Master's degree in international economics and Middle East studies from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, in Washington, D.C., and abachelor's degree in political science and English, from Stanford University, in Palo Alto, California.

Born in 1954, she is married to Jean-Claude Aimé, a former United Nations official.

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