Official UN Languages - Coordinator For Multilingualism

Coordinator For Multilingualism

In a 1999 resolution, the General Assembly requested the Secretary-General to "appoint a senior Secretariat official as coordinator of questions relating to multilingualism throughout the Secretariat".

The first such coordinator was Federico Riesco of Chile, appointed on 6 September 2000.

Following Riesco's retirement, Miles Stoby of Guyana was appointed Coordinator for Multilingualism, effective 6 September 2001.

In 2003, Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed Shashi Tharoor of India as Coordinator for Multilingualism. This responsibility was in addition to Tharoor's role as Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, head of the Department of Public Information.

The current coordinator for multilingualism is Kiyo Akasaka of Japan, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information.

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