Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Gyan Chandra Acharya of Nepal High Representative

 

for Least Developed, Landlocked Developing, Small Island States

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Gyan Chandra Acharya of Nepal as Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States.  Mr. Acharya will replace Cheick Sidi Diarra, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and achievements.

Currently Permanent Representative of Nepal to the United Nations, Mr. Acharya has contributed since 2009, as Chair of the Global Coordination Bureau of the Group of Least Developed Countries, to the successful conclusion of the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries and the follow-up process.  He was also closely involved in the 2010 Millennium Development Goals midterm review process and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), held recently in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

Mr. Acharya brings to the position 29 years of experience in diplomatic service involving the articulation and promotion of bilateral, regional and global issues.  Over the last several years, in various capacities, he has been consistently highlighting, advocating for and projecting the interests and concerns of the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.

With a focus on sensitizing the international community to challenges and opportunities in those countries, Mr. Acharya has contributed to mainstreaming the issues of countries in special situations into the global development agenda.  He is currently a member of the Bureau of Landlocked Developing Countries and Chair of the Commission on Social Development.  From 2010 t0 2011, he served as Chair of the Peacebuilding Commission’s Working Group on Lessons Learned.

Prior to that, he was Foreign Secretary with the Government of Nepal (2007-2009), Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the World Trade Organization in Geneva (2003-2007), Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry (1999-2002) and Joint Secretary (Director-General) responsible for South Asia, Europe and the Americas and Regional Organizations, Economic Relations and Coordination Divisions (1998-2003).

Mr. Acharya graduated with a Master of Economics degree from Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Born in 1960, he is married and has two children.

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*     This supersedes Press Release BIO/4146 of 25 November 2009.

For information media • not an official record