Secretary-General Appoints Vladimir Kuznetsov of Russian Federation Director of United Nations Information Centre in Moscow

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Vladimir Kuznetsov of the Russian Federation as Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Moscow, Russian Federation.  Mr. Kuznetsov assumed his duties today.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Kuznetsov served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), based in Rome, Italy, and was responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to FAO and the other United Nations agencies in Rome, as well as liaison with the United Nations system secretariats.  From 2012 to 2014, he served as Acting Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to FAO and the other United Nations agencies in Rome.

Mr. Kuznetsov held numerous elected posts at the governing bodies of Rome-based United Nations agencies, including two terms as President of the WFP Executive Board (2009, 2013) and as Vice-Chair and a Bureau member of the Committee on World Food Security (2009 to 2012).

Before serving in Rome, Mr. Kuznetsov was the Deputy Director of the Department of Information and Press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation from 1999 to 2008.  He was responsible for public information and communication support for the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which included working with the media at all levels.  He also has experience in the private sector and academia.

In addition to Russian, Mr. Kuznetsov speaks English, French and Italian.  He holds a PhD in history from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University).  He also holds a postgraduate diploma from the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, based in Moscow.