NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF GUATEMALA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG

Carlos Ramiro Martinez Alvarado, the new Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Martinez Alvarado was, from 1994 to 1995, and from 2004 to 2005, Vice-Minister at the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where, from 1991 to 1994, he was also Director of Integration, and from 1988 to 1991, Sub-Director of Multilateral Policy.

From 2002 to 2004, he was Director of the Project Towards a Policy of Citizen Security at the United Nations Development Programme. From 1999 to 2002, he held the post of Research Coordinator for the joint UNDP and Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences Project Towards a Security Policy for Democracy.

In 1999, Mr. Martinez Alvarado was Executive Director of the Guatemalan Institute for Development and Peace, and from 1997 to 1999, Director of Economic Affairs at the Central American Integration System General Secretariat. From 1995 to 1996, he was Director of the Technical Cooperation Programme and Institutional Support for the Central American Secretariat for Economic Integration.

During his career, Mr. Martinez Alvarado has also held numerous consultancies, including for the Ford Foundation, the European Commission, and the Institute of European and Latin-American Relations. He has also been a Member of the High-level Commission for the Fulfilment of the Peace Agreements in Matters of Citizen Security, and Coordinator at the Preparatory Commission for the establishment of the Security Advisory Council.

Mr. Martinez Alvarado holds a degree in international affairs from Florence, Italy. He speaks English, French, and Italian.

Mr. Martinez Alvarado was born on 13 September 1958.