UN chief appoints new deputy special representative for MINUSTAH

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Thursday appointed American and Irish national Kevin Kennedy as his deputy special representative for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Kennedy succeeds Luiz Carlos da Costa of Brazil, who tragically died in the Jan. 12 earthquake.

"The secretary-general remains indebted to Mr. da Costa, who was a pillar of United Nations peacekeeping and a mentor to generations of UN officials," said a UN statement.

In the statement, the secretary-general paid tribute to da Costa who he said brought "extraordinary professionalism and dedication" which were "matched only by his charisma and warmth," as well as his devotion to his friends.

"Mr. Kennedy brings to the position extensive experience in the organization of the international community's response to humanitarian emergencies worldwide at the strategic, political, policy and field levels," said the statement.

Having joined the UN in 1993, Kennedy served as director of the Coordination and Response Division in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and held senior humanitarian positions in Sudan, Iraq, the Balkans, East Timor and Somalia.

Kennedy most recently served as the deputy special coordinator for the Middle-East Peace Process.

Source:Xinhua