Secretary-General Appoints Koen Davidse of Netherlands Deputy Special Representative for Mali

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Koen Davidse of the Netherlands as his Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Mr. Davidse succeeds Arnauld Akodjènou of Benin who concludes his tenure as Deputy Special Representative in September.  The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Akodjènou’s dedicated service in Mali under challenging circumstances.

Mr. Davidse brings with him 25 years of international experience acquired through a distinguished career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the World Bank and the United Nations.  From 2011 to 2015, he served as Director of Multilateral Institutions and Human Rights at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Prior to that, he served as Director of Peacebuilding and Stabilization in the Ministry and acted as the Dutch Special Envoy for Sudan.

In 2006, he served at the United Nations as Research Director for the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence.  Mr. Davidse also served in South Asia for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands and at the Permanent Missions of the Netherlands to the United Nations in Geneva and New York.

A graduate of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, Mr. Davidse holds a degree in international relations and political science.