Secretary-General Appoints Edmond Mulet of Guatemala Head of Security Council Joint Investigative Mechanism on Chemical Weapon Use in Syria

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Edmond Mulet of Guatemala as the Head of the independent three-member panel to lead the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)-United Nations Joint Investigative Mechanism established by Security Council resolution 2235 (2015) on the use of chemicals as weapons in Syria.  By resolution 2319 (2016), the Security Council renewed the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism for a further period of one year on 17 November 2016.

The Secretary-General reiterates his deepest gratitude to the outgoing Head of the Mechanism, Virginia Gamba of Argentina, for her diligence, dedication and professionalism.  Ms. Gamba will be taking the position of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

Mr. Mulet most recently served as Chef de Cabinet to the former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon from 2015 to 2016.  He was Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations from 2007 to 2010 and again in 2011 through 2015.  He also served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) between 2006 and 2007 and 2010 and 2011.  Prior to that, he was Guatemala’s Ambassador to the European Union and the United States.  He was a member of Guatemala’s National Congress for 12 years, including one term as its President.

In addition to his public service, he worked for many years as a journalist and as a legal counsellor in public institutions and in the private sector.  Born in 1951, Mr. Mulet was educated in Guatemala, Canada, United States and Switzerland.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1296-BIO/4293-PKO/278 of 2 June 2011.