Peace through Languages
Conference Room 7, UN Headquarters
Tuesday March 18th, From 9:30 am to 5:30 pm
Biographies of Panelists
Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN. Maged Abdelfattah Abdelaziz has been the new Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations since January 2005. Before his current appointment, Mr. Abdelaziz was Diplomatic Adviser to the President of Egypt and served as his Official Spokesman from September 1999 until the present. From 1997 to 1999, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations and Principal Representative of his country in all disarmament issues. From 1995 to 1997, Mr. Abdelaziz served as Political Counsellor of the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations, and as coordinator of his country’s delegation during its membership on the Security Council in 1996 and 1997. Between 1993 and 1995, Mr. Abdelaziz headed the Specialized Agencies Department in the Multilateral Sector of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1989 to 1993, he was Political Counsellor at the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow. He headed the International Organizations Division in the Legal and Treaties Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1987 to 1989. Between 1983 and 1987, Mr. Abdelaziz served as Second and First Secretary in the Egyptian Mission to the United Nations. Having joined his country’s diplomatic service in 1979, he also served in the International Organizations Division in the Legal and Treaties Department from 1979 to 1983. Mr. Abdelaziz graduated from Ain Shams University School of Law in 1973.
Moussa Makan Camara has been Ambassador of the IOF to the United Nations in New York, since September 2007. Previously, Mr. Camara was Counsellor then Chief of Staff to the Secretary-General of the Organization; Director of Education and Training Programs; Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie to the European Union and the ACP group; Director of the Asia Pacific Regional Bureau of the Intergovernmental Agency of La Francophonie, and Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the International Organization of la Francophonie to the African Union, regional economic communities in Africa and the United Nations Economic Commission for 'Africa in Addis Ababa. Mr Moussa Makan Camara has also held senior positions at the national level as a member of several cabinet ministers and he served as the Ambassador of Mali to France, Portugal, Spain and the Holy Headquarters based in Paris, among others. In addition, he served as Permanent Representative of Mali to the UNESCO and Personal Representative of the President of the Republic of Mali to the International Organization of la Francophonie. Mr. Camara is the author of an essay entitled "Issues for nascent democracy" published by Editions du Senegal Africaines (NEAS) in 1988. Mr. Camara graduated from the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Bamako, in philosophy; and got a postgraduate degree in Political Science and International Cooperation of the University of Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, and hold a certificate of specialization in international relations' International Diplomatic Academy in Paris.
Jean-Marc Coicaud heads the United Nations University (UNU) Office at the United Nations in New York. He was Senior Academic Officer at the UNU in Tokyo from 1996 to 2003. Before joining UNU, he served in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General as a speechwriter for Dr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996). A former fellow at Harvard University, including as an Arthur Sachs scholar, (Center for International Affairs, Department of Philosophy and Harvard Law School, from 1986 to 1992), Coicaud has held appointments such as Cultural Attaché with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Legislative Aide with the European Parliament (Financial Committee), Associate Professor at the University of Paris, and Visiting Professor at the Ecole Normale Supérieure-Ulm in Paris. He has also taught at the New School for Social Research (New York). He has been a Senior Fellow at the United States Institute of Peace (Washington, D.C.) and a Global Research Fellow at New York University School of Law. Coicaud holds a Ph.D. in political science-law from the Sorbonne and a Doctorat d'Etat in philosophy from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques of Paris. In addition, he holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in literature and linguistics. Jean-Marc Coicaud has published close to fifteen books, including: L’introuvable démocratie autoritaire (1996), Légitimité et Politique (Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 1997), Politics and Legitimacy: A Contribution to the Study of Political Right and Political Responsibility (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2002, also available in Spanish, Japanese, Chinese and Arabic), Beyond the National Interest (United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington, DC, 2007), in Japanese, Limits of the UN/Future of the UN (Fujiwara Shoten, Tokyo, 2007) and, in Chinese, Towards the International Rule of Law (SDX Joint Publishing Company, Beijing, 2008). Jean-Marc Coicaud is now working on a new single-authored book, Kissing War Good-bye: The Morality of International Politics. Jean-Marc Coicaud is a member of the Board of Directors of the Academic Council for the United Nations Systems (ACUNS) and a member of the Advisory Board of Global Policy Innovations (New York). He also serves as an adviser for the Fondation pour l’innovation politique (Paris).
Ramu Damodaran, Chief of the Civil Society Service, Department of Public Information, UN. Ramu Damodaran has been Chief of the Civil Society Service in the Outreach Division of the Department of Public Information since February 2003. The Service is responsible for the Department’s relationships with non-governmental organisations and educational institutions as well as programmes for the general public, including exhibits, guided tours, concerts and DPI special events. It also publishes the UN Chronicle, in print and online. His earlier assignments with the Organization have included the Departments of Peacekeeping and Special Political Questions as well as the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. He is a member of the Indian Foreign Service and his last national position was that of Private Secretary to the Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1994. He has also served in the Indian diplomatic missions in Moscow and at the United Nations and in assignments in New Delhi including responsibilities relating to the Department of Culture and a series of “Festivals of India” held throughout the world. Prior to joining national government service, he worked extensively in Indian mass media, including television, radio and print publications.
Jean-Marie Ehouzou, has been appointed Ambassador of Benin to the United Nations at the end of August 2006. Prior to his new assignment, Ambassador Ehouzou has been serving as Ambassador of Benin in Ethiopia and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Benin to African Union and to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (from January 2003 to August 2006). Ambassador Ehouzou served also in other various capacities, as Director of International Organizations in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (from May 2000 to May 2003), as Director for Coordination of External Resources (from May 1996 to May 2000), etc…Having a diplomatic carrier, Ambassador Ehouzou, joined the foreign services of his country in 1979 upon graduation in Master Degree in History at Benin National University. He has also graduated in Diplomacy from the Benin National School of Administration, and at the International Institute for Public Administration of Paris (France) where he was granted a diploma in Diplomacy and International Relations.
Charles-Michel Geurts, First Counselor (Political Affairs), Delegation of the European Commission to the United Nations. An EU Official since 1992, Charles-Michel Geurts has taken up in 2004 his current position as Political Counselor in the Delegation of the European Commission to the UN. He has been posted previously in the EC Delegation in Budapest, in the six years preceding Hungary's accession to the EU, and in the EC Secretariat-General in Brussels. Mr Geurts holds law degrees from the European University Institute in Florence, and the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium.
Hélène-Marie Gosselin, UNESCO Representative to the United Nations; Director, UNESCO New York Office. Hélène-Marie Gosselin is UNESCO’s Representative to the United Nations since February 2006. As such she directs relations with the United Nations Secretariat and its Agencies, Funds and Programmes. She is also the Director of UNESCO’s New York Office. Before coming to New York, Ms Gosselin served as UNESCO's Director responsible for programme activities in 20 countries of the Caribbean region. From 1994 to 2001 she was UNESCO's Director of Public Information. Prior to this she worked in Western and Central Africa as a UNICEF Development Officer. She also served as Director-General of the Communication Branch at the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). Ms Gosselin has been twice appointed by Secretary-General of the United Nations as Commissioner General of the United Nations Pavilion at the World Expositions in Lisbon, Portugal (1998) and Aichi, Japan (2005). A Canadian national, she holds degrees from the Université de Montréal and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales of Montréal. She began her professional career as a journalist and editor of business publications before joining the UN in 1979.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations.
Since August 2006, Jean-Pierre Lacroix is Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations. From 2005 to 2006, he was Deputy Director of the UN and International 0rganizations Department at the Foreign Ministry. From 2002 to 2005, he served as Head of the political affairs section, UN and International Organizations Department at the Foreign Ministry. From 1998 to 2002, he was Deputy Chief of Mission, French Embassy in Prague. From 1993 to 1998, he was First Secretary then Second Counselor at the French Embassy in Washington. From 1994 to 1995, he served as an Adviser in the Prime Minister's office. He graduated from the Ecole supérieure des sciences économiques et commerciales, the Institut d’études politiques de Paris and the Ecole Nationale d’Administration.
Yves Michiels, Deputy Director, Operational Services Division Office of Human Resources Management, UN. Deputy Director of the Office of Human Resources Management at the UN Secretariat, Mr. Yves Michiels started working for the UN in November 1975 after finishing his Law degree at the University of Ghent in Belgium. Mr. Michiels did also post graduate studies in European Economic Community Law and in Development Administration. He was recruited for UNESCO in November 1975 and worked as an associate expert in Public Management at CAFRAD (Centre Africain pour la Formation en Administration du Developpement) in Tangiers, Morocco. In 1979, Mr. Michiels was recruited for the department of technical cooperation of the UN Secretariat and served in areas of public administration and public management at the service of the governments of Burundi (Bujumbura 1979-1986), Guinea (Conakry 1986-1990) and Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou 1990-1995). Mr. Michiels was recruited as HQ staff in NY in 1995 to head the new service on HR Planning where he served until 2002 until he became Deputy Director until today. In this function he is dealing with issues of workforce planning, monitoring of the HRM delegated authority to departments, overseas departments and peacekeeping missions and HR statistical reporting.
Mihnea Ioan Motoc, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations. A career diplomat, Ambassador Motoc served as State Secretary for European Integration and Multilateral Affairs from 2001 to 2003 before being appointed Permanent Representative of Romania to the United Nations. He began his diplomatic career in 1991 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he held several posts, including Director of the European Union Department (1996) and Deputy Director of the Human Rights Department (1994). He led the Romanian Delegation for Accession Talks to NATO and has been President of the Interdepartmental Commission for Romania’s Accession to NATO since 2001. He also served as President of the National Security Authority (2001 and 2002); National Coordinator of the South-East Europe Stability Pact (2001); and Vice Chairman of the Executive Council of the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (2000). Ambassador Motoc holds a J.D. from the University of Bucharest’s School of Law and an L.L.M. in public international and comparative law from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. Before his diplomatic career, he worked as a magistrate.
Louis Dominique Ouédraogo, former inspector to the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations System. From 1996 to 2005, Mr. Louis Dominique Ouédraogo has been inspector to the Joint Inspection Unit of the United Nations System, where he assumed presidency in 1999 and 2000. During this period, Mr. Ouédraogo wrote 4 reports dealing with various aspects of Multilingualism in the United Nations system. From 1973 to 1976, he has been a member of the Advisory Committee for Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) of the United Nations. As a diplomat, Mr. Ouédraogo has held several positions from 1968 to 1985. He has been for instance, the First Counsellor at the Permanent Mission of Upper Volta to the United Nations (1968-1973), Ambassador to Canada (1974-1981), and Secretary General of Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1984-1985). Mr. Ouédraogo graduated from the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris in International Relations in 1966, and the Institut des Hautes Etudes d'Outre Mer de Paris in Diplomacy in 1967.
Lila Hanitra Ratsifandrihamanana, Ambassador of the African Union, Permanent Observer to the United Nations. Mrs. Ratsifandrihamanana was previously Ambassador to Madagascar, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Morocco between August 2002 and December 2006. She was in charge of several ministerial portfolios; for instance she was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Madagascar (from February 2002 to July 1998), and Minister of Scientific Research of the Republic of Madagascar; (February 1997 - July 1998). Between 1992 and 1997, Ms. Ratsifandrihamanana was the head of the Centre of Studies and Research in the Natural Sciences at the Ecole Normale Supérieure. Mrs. Ratsifandrihamanana is very active in the civil society sector; President of the Non-Governmental Organization "NEW EARTH", and Member of executive committee of the association "Women, Science, Development".
Jean-Maurice Ripert, Ambassador Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations. Since August, 2007, Jean-Maurice Ripert has been Ambassador, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations in New York. From 2005 to 2007, Jean-Maurice Ripert served as Ambassador of France, Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations Office at Geneva. Previously, he was Director, United Nations and International Organizations desk at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2000 to 2003, he served as Ambassador of France to Greece, and, from 1997 to 2000, Diplomatic adviser to the French Prime Minister. He has also been Consul General, Los Angeles, from 1993 to 1997 and, from 1991 to 1992, Chief of staff to the secretary of state for humanitarian action. He is a Graduate of the Institute of Political Studies, Paris, and of the National School of Administration.
Jean-Louis Roy. Academic, journalist and diplomat, Jean-Louis Roy is a Canadian citizen and currently lives in Montreal. He has completed his Masters degree in Philosophy at the University of Montreal and his PhD in History at McGill University. He was awarded an honorary law degree from the University of Moncton and one in Letters from Sainte-Anne University. Mr Roy has held the following functions: Director of the French Canadian Studies Centre, McGill University (1971-1980); Publisher of the daily newspaper Le Devoir (1980-1986); Quebec’s Delegate General in Paris and Delegate of Francophone affairs (1990-1999); President of Partenariat International (1999-2002); President, Rights and Democracy (2002-2007). Jean-Louis Roy is president of Partenariat International and visiting scholar at the Centre de Recherche en Droit Public de l'Université de Montréal. Jean-Louis Roy is the author of numerous literary works, as well as history and international politics works published in Canada, the United States, France and on the African continent. More than 20 countries have granted him their national order or other national awards and distinctions.
Michael Smolens, Founder, Chairman and CEO, dotSUB LLC. Michael Smolens had for 30 years set up manufacturing facilities doing business in and with high-risk countries including Haiti, Mexico, Hungary, Romania, Turkey, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Jordan, Russia and Azerbaijan, creating in excess of 20,000 jobs and directly supporting the livelihood of more than 100,000 people. During that time, he not only developed a profound practical understanding and appreciation for many of the world's cultures, but figured out a way to do business in these countries by implementing world class business skills and procedures perfected in one country, and integrating them into a different country, while paying close attention to existing local cultural differences.
Juan Antonio Yanez-Barnuevo has been Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations, since May 2004. Previously, he was Ambassador at large, Head of the Spanish Delegation at the negotiations within the UN framework leading to the establishment and operation of the International Criminal Court (1997-2004). From 1991 to 1996, he served as Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations (1991-1996), Vice-Chair of the GA Working Group on the Agenda for Peace, and Member of the Groups of friends for the peace processes for El Salvador and Guatemala. From 1982 to 1991, he was Head of the International Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (1982-1991), participating in many bilateral and multilateral summits including at the European Union, the Atlantic Alliance and the United Nations. From 1978 to 1982, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Spain to the Council of Europe (1978-1982). Member of the Spanish Diplomatic Service since 1967, he holds a Master’s Degree in Law (Madrid) and a Diploma in International Law from Cambridge University.
2 UN Plaza, DC2-2060, New York, New York 10017
Tel: 212-963-6387 | Fax: 212-371-9454 | unuona @ ony.unu.edu