NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF AUSTRALIA PRESENTS CREDENTIALS TO ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF UNOG

The new Permanent Representative of Australia to the United Nations Office at Geneva, John Paton Quinn, today presented his credentials to Michael Møller, the Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Quinn had been serving as Assistant Secretary for Strategic Issues and Intelligence in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for much of the period since late 2008, dealing with a range of regional and global security and politico-military issues. He chaired the Missile Technology Control regime from 2008 to 2009, and from 2011 to 2012, he was seconded to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to lead the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s input into the Australian Government’s Australia in the Asian Century White Paper.

Mr. Quinn joined Australia’s diplomatic service in 1979. His diplomatic posts include Honolulu as Consul-General; Tokyo as Minister-Counsellor; Manila as Deputy Head of Mission; New York serving with Australia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations; and Nairobi. He has also occupied a range of posts at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, including heading the Government’s inter-agency Iraq Task Force in 2003 and 2004, and branches dealing with Southeast Asia, New Zealand and Pacific regional issues, the Middle East, nuclear policy and cultural relations.

Mr. Quinn is married with two adult children.


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CR14/022E