Global General

DRC national named deputy head of UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-10 04:41

UNITED NATIONS, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Ndolamb Ngokwey of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will take over as UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-Moon's deputy special representative of the UN Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI), and as the UN resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator in the West African country, a UN press release announced here Friday.

Ngokwey is expected to bring to Cote d'Ivoire his experience working on African humanitarian and development issues, the press release said. Since 1986, Ngokwey has held several positions in the UN system, most recently as the UN resident coordinator and UN Development Program (UNDP) resident representative in Mozambique.

He has also served as the director of the office of the secretary of the executive board of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Ngokwey is a graduate of the University of California in the US, as well as the University of Zaire, which was located in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The secretary-general expressed gratitude for the services of Georg Charpentier, who formerly held the position Ngokwey is taking with UNOCI. Charpentier has since been appointed as the deputy special representative, resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan. Ban also thanked Steven Ursino, who has been carrying out the duties of the UNOCI position since Carpenter's departure.