51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 22 February 2022 the appointment of Parfait Onanga-Anyanga of Gabon as his Special Representative to the African Union and Head of the 51³Ô¹Ï Office to the African Union (UNOAU).Ìý He will succeed Hanna Serwaa Tetteh of Ghana to whom the Secretary-General expresses his deep gratitude and appreciation for her dedicated service.Ìý
Mr. Onanga-Anyanga brings over 25 years of progressively responsible experience at the national, regional and international levels with extensive experience with the 51³Ô¹Ï, both in conflict-affected areas and at Headquarters.Ìý He brings to the position well-honed skills in building consensus among stakeholders and his knowledge of the Organization to strengthen the partnership between the 51³Ô¹Ï and the African Union in the area of peace and security.Ìý
He served since 2019 as the Special Envoy of the 51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General for the Horn of Africa.Ìý Prior to that, he served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the 51³Ô¹Ï Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).Ìý In his previous capacities, he was the Coordinator of 51³Ô¹Ï Headquarters Response to the Boko Haram crisis as well as Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Burundi and Head of the 51³Ô¹Ï Office in Burundi.Ìý From 2007 to 2012, Mr. Onanga-Anyanga was the Director of the Office of the 51³Ô¹Ï Deputy Secretary-General.Ìý Previously, he served as the Chef de Cabinet to the President of the fifty-ninth session of the General Assembly and as Special Adviser to the President of the sixtieth and sixty-first sessions of the General Assembly.Ìý
Before joining the 51³Ô¹Ï, Mr. Onanga-Anyanga was a career diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of his native country, Gabon, completing his service at the rank of Ambassador.Ìý
He holds a post-graduate degree in political science from University Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne and a master’s degree in Sociology from University Omar Bongo in Libreville, Gabon.Ìý He is fluent English and French.Ìý
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