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

Francisco Villagran de Leon, the new Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations Office at Geneva, today presented his credentials to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva.

Prior to his appointment to Geneva, Mr. Villagran de Leon served as the Ambassador of Guatemala to the United States from 2012 to 2013, a post he also held from 2008 to 2011. From 2005 to 2008, he was the Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the Organization of American States in Washington D.C., a post he also held from 1987 to 1988. He was the Ambassador of Guatemala to Germany from 2000 to 2001; Ambassador to Norway and Denmark, based in Oslo, from 1998 to 2000; and Ambassador to Canada from 1994 to 1998. He was Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the United Nations in New York from 1988 to 1991.

Mr. Villagran de Leon was the Vie-Minister of Guatemala in 1986. He was based in Washington from 1982 to 1986, working at the Embassy of Guatemala from 1982 to 1983, and from 1985 to 1986, and as the Alternate Representative of Guatemala to the Organization of American States from 1983 to 1984.

Mr. Villagran de Leon was born on 29 March 1954 in Guatemala City. He has a B.A. in Law and Social Sciences from the Universidad Rafael Landivar in Guatemala (1979) and a M.A. in International Relations from Georgetown University (1982). He is married with a daughter.


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CR13/032E