SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS ARNAULD ANTOINE AKODJÈNOU OF BENIN DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR MALI

NEW YORK, July 28, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Arnauld Antoine Akodjènou of Benin as his Deputy Special Representative in the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Mr. Akodjènou succeeds Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, who has been appointed as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Bathily's dedicated service during his tenure in Mali and for his leadership in a very challenging environment.

Mr. Akodjènou, currently Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Côte d'Ivoire since 2011, brings to MINUSMA over 25 years of humanitarian, political, mediation and management experience from his service with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and with the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI).

Mr. Akodjènou joined UNHCR in 1986 after several years with the World Social Prospects Association/United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva. After holding various positions in the Regional Bureau for Africa at UNHCR headquarters, Mr. Akodjènou served as UNHCR Representative in Mali and Sierra Leone and as Regional Coordinator for Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire.

Mr. Akodjènou graduated from the University of Benin in Cotonou before earning his post-graduate degree from the Institute of International Relations of Cameroon in Yaoundé. He also holds a PhD in political science from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.