NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF CANADA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO THE DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA

Leslie Norton, the new Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented her credentials to Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to her appointment to Geneva, Ms. Norton had been serving as the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Sub-Saharan Africa Branch since 2016. She was the Director General of the Southern and Eastern Africa Bureau from 2015 to 2016, and the Director General of the International Humanitarian Assistance Bureau from 2009 to 2015. 

Ms. Norton began her career in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and then worked for many years at the Canadian International Development Agency in a range of positions in Africa, Asia, and multilateral branches, including serving in Bangladesh and at the Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva. At Headquarters, she served as Director of the International Humanitarian Assistance and Food Aid Unit at the Canadian International Development Agency from 2006 to 2008, and as the Director of the Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Response Group at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade from 2008 to 2009. 

Ms. Norton has a master’s degree in international relations from Laval University (1992); a bachelor’s degree in English and French literature from the University of Western Ontario (1988); and a diploma in civilization and literature from Aix-Marseille III University (1985).


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CR19.27E