Secretary-General Appoints Hélène Papper of France as Director of United Nations Information Centre in Bogota

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Hélène Papper of France as Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Bogota, which serves Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.  Ms. Papper assumes her duties today.

Prior to her new appointment, Ms. Papper worked with the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as Chief of Radio since March 2014, where she worked to set up the radio station, Mikado FM, in support of the Mission’s mandate and Mali’s national reconciliation process.

Ms. Papper served as Senior Communications Expert for the African Development Bank in Tunisia from 2012 to 2014.  She created multimedia products for the Bank’s outreach programmes and coordinated communications-related activities for the more than 40 field offices across Africa.  From 2009 to 2012, Ms. Papper was Deputy Chief of Radio and Head of Public Information Programmes with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).  In 2009, she was awarded a Rotary International Peace fellowship for her research in communicating for peace and conflict resolution.

From 2006 to 2009, Ms. Papper served as international correspondent and presenter, and Latin America Specialist for France 24 television in Paris.  She covered international news, with a special focus on the Americas and Africa.  She joined the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) as Head of Radio and Public Information Officer in 2005.

Previously, Ms. Papper worked as a news director and trainer for radio and television, as well as a journalist, host and correspondent for various media including National Public Radio, BBC World and Radio France International.  She reported from the Balkans, the Middle East, the Americas and Europe.

Fluent in English, French and Spanish, she holds a master’s degree in literature and postcolonial civilization from Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris, and a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and political science from Syracuse University in the United States.

Ms. Papper has one child.