Ban Ki Moon appoints French diplomat as UN peacekeeping chief

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Herve Ladsous of France as Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, replacing Alain Le Roy, according to UN news center. A seasoned diplomat, Ladsous brings to the position extensive experience acquired during his service in a variety of countries. He also brings acute political judgment, strong crisis-management capacities, especially in the area of peacekeeping, and a profound understanding of the challenges facing the United Nations. His capacity to build consensus is recognized by his peers all over the world. Ladsous has held a broad range of positions France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs since joining in 1971. As a junior diplomat, he was posted to Hong Kong, Canberra and Beijing, in addition to being a member of the permanent representation to the United Nations in Geneva. After having served as Deputy-Director General of the Department for the Americas, he was appointed Charge d’affaires ad interim in Haiti, before becoming Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. He was Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna and Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, before holding senior posts in Paris as Spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry and Director General for Asia and Oceania. Before assuming his current position as Chief of Staff to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, he was Ambassador to China.