UNOTIL
United Nations Office in Timor-Leste
Public Information Office
Press Release

UN Secretary-General appoints Sukehiro Hasegawa as SRSG and Head of UNOTIL

4 June 2005: The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan has appointed Dr Sukehiro Hasegawa to continue as his Special Representative for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Office in Timor-Leste (UNOTIL). The appointment was officially announced at United Nations Headquarters in New York on June 3 2005 following the response of the President of the Security Council to the UN Secretary-General. SRSG Hasegawa will also continue to serve as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative for Timor-Leste.

Dr Hasegawa said: "I am grateful to the Secretary-General for entrusting me again with the responsibility to represent him in Timor-Leste. This time, the challenge that is far more complex and difficult as UNOTIL is
called upon to assist the Timorese in acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to build the capacity of State institutions to deliver their services in accordance with International principles of rule of law, human rights, democratic governance, transparency, accountability and professionalism. With the continued support of the international community and the Timorese authorities, I am confident that UNOTIL will be just as successful and effective as past UN missions in the country."

Prior to his appointment as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Timor-Leste and Head of UNMISET from 20 May 2004 until 20 May 2005, Dr Hasegawa served as the Deputy SRSG for Timor-Leste from July 2002 to May 2004. He was the Special Advisor on Crisis Prevention and Recovery to the
Administrator of UNDP based in Geneva from April to June 2002, Director of UNDP Tokyo Office from September 1999 until March 2002 and Deputy Assistant Administrator of UNDP for Asia and the Pacific from July 1996 until August 1999. During his career with the UN system extending over a period of 30 years, he served several senior positions mostly in UNDP but also in other functions related to UN peacekeeping and peace-building activities in Cambodia, Somalia and Rwanda. These include Resident and Humanitarian
Coordinator in Rwanda in 1995, Director for Policy and Planning of the United Nations Peace Operations in Somalia (UNOSOM II) in 1994 and Deputy Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers from 1987 to 1993.

Dr. Hasegawa started his career with UNDP in 1969 as a Programme Officer in the Bureau for Programming and Operations in New York. Since then, he served as Area Officer and Regional Programme Officer in the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific from 1972 to 1978; Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Nepal, 1978-1980 and Indonesia, 1980-1984. In 1984, he was appointed Resident Coordinator of the United Nations operational activities for development in Samoa, the Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau as well as the Resident Representative of UNDP.

Dr. Hasegawa holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Michigan, an MA in Public International Administrator from the Graduate School of Public Administration, International Christian
University, Tokyo and a PhD in International Relations and Development from Washington University, USA. He is married and has two daughters and one son.

For more information, please contact Mark Harris or Ceu Brites at UNOTIL
Public Information Office on +670 723 0746 and +670 723 3820

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