For information only - not an official document
UNIS/INF/452
1 August 2012
UN Secretary-General appoints Austrian diplomat as coordinator for multilingualism
NEW YORK/VIENNA, 31 July (UN Information Service) - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed the incoming Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, as Coordinator for Multilingualism.
The appointment follows the General Assembly's request to Mr. Ban to appoint a senior United Nations official to coordinate questions relating to multilingualism throughout the Secretariat.
These functions are in addition to Mr. Launsky-Tieffenthal's future responsibilities as head of the Department of Public Information. Mr. Launsky-Tieffenthal will be replacing Kiyotaka Akasaka of Japan in the position of Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. The appointment was announced on 31 May 2012.
Since 2007, Mr. Launsky-Tieffenthal has served as the Head of the Department for Communication and Information of Austria's Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. His 30 years of experience within the Austrian Foreign Service includes service in Asia, North America and the Middle East, with responsibilities ranging from public diplomacy and development cooperation to press and information.
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