Brussels, 23 January 2012: The ACP Committee of Ambassadors received two peers into its fold last week. H.E Mr Badri Ali Bogoreh, Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti and H.E Mr Wilfred Eduard Christopher, Ambassador of the Republic of Suriname were officially welcomed as the new representatives of their respective countries to the ACP Group of States on Thursday.

In addition, Ambassador Ajay K Bramdeo, Chief Director of Africa Multilateral, was also presented as the new emissary for the African Union.

Ambassador Bogoreh, a career diplomat, is the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Djibouti, as well as a lawyer specialising in international law.

Ambassador Bogoreh and ACP Secretary General Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas

Having graduated from the French University of Angers, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Djibouti where he became Head of the Non-Government Organisation Division. He was posted to New York in 1992, where he rose to be First Counsellor of the Djibouti Permanent Mission to the United Nations, and had the honour to participate in the deliberations of the United Nations Security Council and the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court.

From New York, he was posted to Tokyo as First Counsellor of the Djibouti Embassy before his appointment three years later as Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation in his country in 2003. As Secretary General, Ambassador Bogoreh chaired the “Peace and Security” Committee of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), as well as the National Committee in charge of monitoring and coordinating the activities of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).

H.E Wilfred Eduard Christopher and Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas

Ambassador Christopher of Suriname is also a lawyer, having graduated from the Anton de KOM University in Suriname and the Rio Branco Institute for Diplomacy in Brazil. He joined the civil service in 1975 with the Ministry of Finance before embarking on his diplomatic career at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in six years later as desk officer for the United States and Asia, Africa and Oceania (AZAF). He was appointed First Secretary to the Embassy of Suriname in Washington DC from 1991 to 1994, before returning to his country at the end of his diplomatic tour of duty to become the Deputy Head of Asia, Africa and Oceania (AZAF) desk.

After stints as Policy Advisor and Senior Policy Advisor at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he rose to become the Deputy Permanent Secretary in charge of Geopolitical Affairs. Last month he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Suriname to the Kingdom of Belgium and Permanent Representative to the European Union. Ambassador Christopher speaks Dutch, English, Portugese and Spanish.

Finally, Ambassador Ajay K Bramdeo is the new Representative of theAfricaUnion to the EU and the ACPGroup.A South African national, he was formerly the Chief Director of Africa: Multilateral, and wasthe Contact Point for Southern African Development Community (SADC) at the South African Ministry of Foreign Affairs,taking overall development responsibility for SADC, AU, the New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD) and Peace Missions. He also served as South African High Commissioner to Mauritius and Seychelles.

(Pictured from top: Their Excellencies MrBadri Ali Bogoreh and Mr Wilfred Eduard Christopher; Ambassador Bogoreh and the ACP Secretary General Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas; Ambassador Christopher with the ACP Secretary General; Ambassador Ajay K. Bramdeo)