Biographical Note

New Permanent Representative of NORWAY Presents Credentials

 

(Based on information provided by the Protocol and Liaison Service)

Geir O. Pedersen, the new Permanent Representative of Norway to the United Nations, today presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Until his latest appointment, Mr. Pedersen was Director General of the Department for United Nations, Peace and Humanitarian Affairs at his country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In February 2007, Mr. Ban appointed him Special Coordinator for Lebanon at the level of Under-Secretary-General, after he had served as the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative for Lebanon since April 2005.  Prior to that, he was Director of the Asia and Pacific Division in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, in which capacity he also worked on the Middle East peace process and Iraq.

From November 1998 to March 2003, Mr. Pedersen was Norway’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority, having held various posts at the Ministry in Oslo, including that of Chief of Staff to the Foreign Minister.  From 1993 to 1995, he was Director of the Norwegian Institute of Applied Social Science, which conducted surveys on living conditions in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

In 1993, he was a member of the Norwegian team to the secret Oslo negotiations that led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles and the mutual recognition between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).  He also served in China and Germany.

Mr. Pedersen holds a master’s degree in history.

Born in Oslo on 28 September 1955, he is married and has five children.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1056-BIO/3858 dated 16 February 2007.

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