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

Pierre Claver Ndayiragije, the new Permanent Representative of Burundi 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, Mr. Ndayiragije had been serving as Principal Counsellor in charge of political and diplomatic questions to the First Vice President of Burundi, and President of a technical committee dealing with the programmes of the Commission for the Consolidation of Peace in Burundi, including joint programmes between the United Nations and Burundi. From 2006 to 2009, he served as Director-General in charge of regional integration at the Ministry of Foreign Relations and International Cooperation and National Coordinator of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region.

A career diplomat, Mr. Ndayiragije has held a number of posts, including National Coordinator at the Office for National Coordination of Foreign Non-governmental Organizations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (2004 to 2006); Counsellor in charge of diplomatic issues to the Vice President (2003 to 2004); Counsellor at the Presidency (2002 to 2003); and Counsellor at the Embassy of Burundi in Beijing, China (1997 to 2001), among others.

Since 2003, he has been a Professor at the Université Lumière de Bujumbura. Mr. Ndayiragije has represented his country in many international, regional and bilateral meetings.

Mr. Ndayiragije has a B.A. in international politics from Fudan University in Shanghai, China (1988 to 1992); a certificate in peaceful resolution of conflicts from the Diplomatic Institute of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (1995) and a post graduate diploma in international relations from the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies of the University of Nairobi, Kenya (1995 to 1996). He was born in Rutana, Burundi on 27 February 1965. He is married with a child.


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CR11/003E