UNITED NATIONS — Stefan Priesner of Austria has taken over as the United Nations’ top official in India, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric announced on Tuesday. Priesner assumed his duties as UN Resident Coordinator in New Delhi on Monday, succeeding Shombi Sharp, who completed a four-year term.
Priesner arrives in India after serving four years as the UN Resident Coordinator in Iran. His appointment marks a return to South Asia, where he began his 28-year UN career in Bhutan and later held assignments in Nepal and Bangladesh. His previous roles also include serving as resident coordinator for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei, as well as working in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He holds a law degree from the University of Vienna and a master’s degree in international relations from Johns Hopkins University in the United States.
As Resident Coordinator, Priesner will represent the UN at the highest levels of government in India and lead the heads of UN agencies operating in the country, advancing the organisation’s development priorities and partnerships.
In a separate announcement on Tuesday, Guterres appointed Lt. Gen. Ganesh Kumar Shrestha of Nepal as the new force commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA). The mission, created by the Security Council in 2011, is tasked with protecting civilians in the contested Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan.
Shrestha replaces Maj. Gen. Robert Yaw Affram of Ghana and will oversee a deployment that includes 3,250 troops and 640 police personnel. He previously served as the Master General of Ordnance at the Nepalese Army Headquarters and has held peacekeeping roles, including service as a sector commander under the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). (Source: IANS)
