Secretary-General Appoints José Viegas Filho of Brazil Special Representative for Guinea-Bissau

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres today announced the appointment of José Viegas Filho of Brazil as his new Special Representative for Guinea‑Bissau and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peacebuilding Office in Guinea-Bissau (UNIOGBIS).

Mr. Filho succeeds Modibo Touré of Mali, who will complete his assignment on 6 May 2018.  The Secretary‑General is grateful for Mr. Touré’s leadership and for the accomplishments of the mission during his tenure at UNIOGBIS.

Mr. Filho brings over four decades of experience in Government service and diplomacy.  His most recent assignment was as Ambassador of Brazil to Italy from 2009 to 2012.  Prior to this, he was Ambassador to Spain, from 2005 to 2009; the Russian Federation, from 2001 to 2002; Peru, from 1998 to 2001; and Denmark, from 1995 to 1998.  He also served as Minister of Defence of Brazil from 2003 to 2004 and held the positions of Under‑Secretary‑General for Policy Planning and Multilateral Affairs from 1993 to 1995, and Head of the Department of Multilateral Affairs from 1991 to 1995, both in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Previously, Mr. Filho headed the Brazilian delegations that negotiated the reform of the Treaty OF Tlatelolco for the denuclearization of South America from 1992 to 1993, and the global ban on anti‑personnel landmines from 1995 to 1997.  He also served in the United States, Chile, Italy, France, and Cuba from 1969 to 1990 in various diplomatic assignments.

Mr. Filho is a graduate of the Instituto Rio Branco, a graduate school of international relations and diplomatic academy in Brasília, Brazil.

He was born in Brazil in 1942.