UN chief appoints special advisor on Great Lakes region

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday appointed Modibo Toure of Mali as Special Advisor at the level of Assistant Secretary-General to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Great Lakes Region.“As Special Advisor, based in Nairobi, Kenya, Mr. Toure will be working closely with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, Mary Robinson,” said a statement issued by Ban’s spokesperson.Prior to this, according to the statement, Toure had since January served as the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative ad interim of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for Kenya.In his new capacity, Toure will be assisting Robinson’s efforts toward “the implementation of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region, “ the statement said.Signed by 11 countries of the Great Lakes Region of Africa on February 24 in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, the framework agreement aims at stabilising the situation in the DRC.The newly appointed special advisor brings with him 22 years of international economic development experience, having worked in a wide range of countries with UNDP in Africa, said the statement.Aside from this, the special advisor “has also worked in high-level positions in the African Development Bank and served as Minister of New Technologies, Telecommunications and Post Office in Mali,” the statement said.Born in 1959, Toure is married and has three children. He holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in economics.

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UN chief appoints special advisor on Great Lakes region