News – Thursday 27^th April 2006

Ethiopian appointed to senior UN role

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan has today announced the appointment of Yohannes Mengesha of Ethiopia as Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management.

Ato Yohannes, currently serves as Director of the Office of the Deputy Secretary-General and has been with that office since its inception, previously serving as Principal Officer (1998-2005).  Earlier in his career, he held the position of Director, Iraq Programme, Department of Humanitarian Affairs (1996-1998).

Yohannes, who holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Master of Arts in Law from Cambridge University in the UK, joined the United Nations in 1976 as Project Officer for the World Food Programme (WFP) Eastern Caribbean Office, Trinidad and Tobago (1976-1980).  Since then, he has served the Organisation in various capacities, including as Regional Manager, WFP Eastern and Southern Africa Bureau (1994-1996); and Senior Adviser, Department of Humanitarian Affairs (1992-1994).  He also held various posts in WFP’s East and Southern Africa Bureau (1980-1992). 

The Secretary General also appointed Legwaila Joseph Legwaila of Botswana as Special Adviser on Africa. The former Botswanan Permanent Representative to the United Nations was until recently the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE), and will take up his new post on 1^st May.

ENDS