NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF SOUTH AFRICA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG

Jerry Mathews Matjila, the new Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Sergei Ordzhonikidze, the Director-General of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Matjila had been serving as Deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs of South Africa since 2006. Under this post, he participated in a number of regional and international conferences, including the World Trade Organization trade negotiations in Cancun, Geneva and Hong Kong; and implementation of the South Africa-European Union Trade and Development Agreement. He also assisted in the negotiations on the European Union Economic Partnership Agreements, and organized and prepared for Heads of State visits to a number of countries. He was South Africa’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and to the European Communities from 2001 to 2006.

Mr. Matjila joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1994. Before that, he was a member of the ANC, representing the ANC in Japan and the North Pacific from 1988 to 1994; and in Sweden and Finland from 1985 to 1988. In 1976, he left South Africa for exile and joined the ANC full time.

Mr. Matjila has a Masters Degree from the University of Strathclyede in Glasgow, Scotland (1999) and has a number of diplomas in diplomatic training. He was born on 14 July 1952, and is married.


For use of information media; not an official record

CR10/004E