Kaarina Immonen of Finland Deputy Special Representative for Central African Republic

Secretary-General Appoints Kaarina Immonen of Finland Deputy Special


Representative for Central African Republic


United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Kaarina Immonen of Finland as his Deputy Special Representative in the Central African Republic.  Ms. Immonen will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

She succeeds Bo Schack of Denmark, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his long and continuing service to the Organization, and his commitment to peace consolidation and stability in the Central African Republic.  The Secretary-General would also like to extend his gratitude to Modibo TourĂ© for his contribution to United Nations efforts in his capacity as Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. in that country.

Ms. Immonen brings more than 16 years of experience in conflict prevention and recovery, development and field operations management to her new position.  Prior to her latest appointment, she served in various capacities at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Moldova, from 2007 to 2012.

She was UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in the Russian Federation and held a similar position in Georgia.  Having started her career as a Junior Professional Officer in the Congo, she went on to other UNDP assignments in Viet Nam, Rwanda, Kenya and Cambodia.

Ms. Immonen holds a master’s degree in political science and international relations from the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute for International Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.