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

Steffen Smidt, the new Permanent Representative of Denmark 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. Smidt had been serving in 2010 as Under Secretary for Global Challenges at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark in Copenhagen. In 2009, he served as Senior Advisor in the Ministry for Climate and Energy, and in 2008 he was the Representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on climate change issues. He was Denmark’s Ambassador to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris from 2006 to 2007.

A career diplomat, Mr. Smidt served at the European Commission in Brussels from 1990 to 2002 in various capacities, including as Director-General for the Directorates General for Fisheries (1999 to 2002), Administration and Personnel (1997 to 1999), Development (1995 to 1997), and Director-General and Head of the Task Force for Enlargement (1993 to 1995). He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and his foreign posts include many at the European Commission in Brussels as well as being Counsellor at the Danish Mission to the United Nations in New York from 1983 to 1984.

Mr. Smidt was born in Copenhagen in 1945. He has a Master of Political Science from the University of Arhus in Denmark (1973).


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CR10/024E