Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Diane Corner of United Kingdom

 

Deputy Special Representative for MINUSCA

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Diane Corner of the United Kingdom as his Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), established by Security Council resolution 2149 (2014) of 10 April.

Ms. Corner succeeds Lawrence Wohlers of the United States of America, who will complete his planned short-term assignment.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Wohlers for his dedicated service and political engagement during a critical time of transition and start-up of the peacekeeping operation.

Ms. Corner brings to the appointment several years of relevant diplomatic experience in the Great Lakes region in her 32 years with the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including as the British High Commissioner to Tanzania and United Kingdom Representative to the East African Community (2009-2013), and most recently as the British Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Congo (2013-present).

Ms. Corner also served as Acting High Commissioner to Sierra Leone (2008-2009), as Deputy High Commissioner to Zimbabwe (2001-2003), as Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy Office in Berlin (1994-1998).  Ms. Corner’s first overseas posting was as Second Secretary Political at the British High Commission in Malaysia (1985-1988).  She also worked for some time at the United Kingdom Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Ms. Corner holds a degree in French and Politics (joint honours) from the University of Bristol.  In 2000, she completed the Senior Course at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Defence College in Rome.

Born in 1959, she is married and has four children.

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