Brussels, 15 September 2014/ ACP: Former Secretary General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has been appointed as the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA).

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on Friday that Dr. Chambas will succeed Mr. Said Djinnit of Algeria.

Dr. Chambas served as ACP Secretary General from March 2010 to March 2013, before being appointed as the African Union-United Nations Joint Special Representative for Darfur and Head of the AU-UN Hybrid Operation in Darfur.

During his tenure with the ACP Group, Dr. Chambas was credited with initiating key reforms at the Secretariat, and creating the 12-member ACP Eminent Persons Group charged with reviewing the organisation and making recommendations to Heads of State regarding its transformation into a more effective actor on the global stage. He also brought about a number of agreements between the ACP Group and international partners to collaborate on shared interests, such the United National Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Industrial development organisation (UNIDO), the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Government of Brazil.

Dr Chambas’ extensive experience includes serving as President of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) from 2006 to 2009 and Executive Secretary from 2002 to 2005. He served as Deputy Foreign Minister of Ghana in 1993 to 1994 as well as Deputy Minister for Education in charge of Tertiary Education from 1997 to 2000.

– ACP Press