Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane of Niger

Special Representative for Côte d’Ivoire

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Aïchatou Mindaoudou Souleymane of Niger as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

Ms. Mindaoudou will replace Albert Gerard (Bert) Koenders of the Netherlands, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and excellent leadership of UNOCI.

Since June 2011, Ms. Mindaoudou has served as the Deputy Joint Special Representative (Political) for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  From August 2012 to March 2013, she was Acting Joint Special Representative and Acting Head of UNAMID, as well as Joint Chief Mediator ad interim.

Ms. Mindaoudou brings more than 20 years of experience and a distinguished career in the Government of Niger, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Minister for Social Development, Population and Promotion of Women’s Rights.  During her country’s chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), she presided over the ECOWAS Ministerial Council for Mediation and Peace and led the engagement of ECOWAS in advancing peace and reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo (2005-2007).

She earned a PhD in international law at the University of Paris, La Sorbonne, in France, and both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in international law at the University of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.

Born in Niger in 1959, Ms. Mindaoudou has two children.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1291 of 13 May 2011.

For information media • not an official record