Leadership

AÏCHATOU MINDAOUDOU

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS TO COTE D’IVOIRE AND HEAD OF UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN COTE D’IVOIRE (UNOCI)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Aïchatou Mindaoudou of Niger as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI).

Ms. Mindaoudou replaces Albert Gerard (Bert) Koenders of the Netherlands, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service and excellent leadership of UNOCI.

Since June 2011, Ms. Mindaoudou has served as the Deputy Joint Special Representative (Political) for the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).  From August 2012 to March 2013, she was Acting Joint Special Representative and Acting Head of UNAMID, as well as Joint Chief Mediator ad interim.

Ms. Mindaoudou brings more than 20 years of experience and a distinguished career in the Government of Niger, as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation and Minister for Social Development, Population and Promotion of Women’s Rights.  During her country’s chairmanship of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), she presided over the ECOWAS Ministerial Council for Mediation and Peace and led the engagement of ECOWAS in advancing peace and reconciliation in Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau and Togo (2005-2007).

She earned a PhD in international law at the University of Paris, La Sorbonne, in France, and both her master’s and bachelor’s degrees in international law at the University of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire.

Born in Niger in 1959, Ms. Mindaoudou has two children.

M’Baye Babacar Cissé

SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS M’BAYE BABACAR CISSÉ OF SENEGAL DEPUTY SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN CÔTE D’IVOIRE

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed M’Baye Babacar Cissé of Senegal as his Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire (UNOCI), where he will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative.

He will replace Ndolamb Ngokwey of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Secretary-General is grateful for Mr. Ngokwey’s dedicated service during his tenure in Côte d’Ivoire and for his contribution to the improved coordination of the United Nations system in that country.

Mr. Cissé brings to his new position a wealth of experience in development and humanitarian assistance in Africa, including on regional initiatives and inter-agency processes. He has served with the United Nations since 1980, most recently as Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Regional Director, Regional Bureau for Africa at UNDP.

He has also served as Resident Representative and Resident Coordinator in Burkina Faso and as UNDP Country Director in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has held a number of senior positions at the UNDP Headquarters in New York. Prior to that, Mr. Cissé has undertaken a number of assignments with UNDP, including in Rwanda, Benin, Madagascar and Senegal.

Mr. Cissé holds a master’s degree in finance and fiscal management and a diploma in management and applied economics from the University of Paris IX Dauphine, France.

Born in 1954, Mr. Cissé is married and has two children.

 

 General Didier L'Hote

 Commander of UNOCI Force

 

 Major General Didier L’Hôte is the Force Commander of the United Nations Operation in Côte d'Ivoire (UNOCI), having been appointed by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon on the 8th June 2015.

Having commenced his military education at the Special Military School in Saint-Cyr in 1980, Major General L’Hôte was appointed as an officer of the Infantry Marines in September 1982. During his career, he served in a wide range of appointments in the French Armed Forces.

These appointments included Company Commander and later as Chief of Operations of the 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment. His Command experience also extends to Commanding Officer of the 2nd Marine Infantry Regiment and prior to joining UNOCI, he served as Deputy to the Commanding General at the Land Task Force based in Marseille which is one of two French Task Forces.

Major General L’Hôte has extensive overseas experience and has served in fifteen overseas operations in Europe, Asia and especially in Africa both in a national and international context. His experience in Africa includes service in Central Africa Republic, Chad, Rwanda, Tanzania and Congo. He has also had a number of tours of duty to the Balkans with service including Macedonia, Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina. He has served in the Middle East to include Lebanon and Iraq and at the end of 2011 he served as the Commander of the French Contingent in Afghanistan for 8 months.

He has previously completed two tours of duty in Côte d’Ivoire, from 1986 to 1988 as a Platoon Commander and in 2003 as a Battalion Commander. In March 2014, he joined UNOCI as Deputy Force Commander, a position he held for nearly 18 months before taking up the appointment of Force Commander.

Major General L’ L’Hôte graduated from Saint Cyr with an Engineering Degree and also holds a Master in Defence Management and International Relations. He is a graduate of the Advanced War College in Paris and has completed a number of international studies including the Senior Course in the NATO Defence College in Rome, Italy and the Higher Command and Staff Course in Shrivenham in the United Kingdom.

Jean-Marc Lafon

Police Divisional Commissioner

The Police Divisional Commissioner Jean-Marc Lafon, a French national, is the acting Head of the Police component of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNPOL) since 5 August 5 2016.
 
In his country, Commissioner Lafon served as the Regional and departmental Director of general information and as the Chief of General Security. In Morocco, he served as the Homeland Security Attache to the French Embassy in Rabat.
 
He holds a Master in Private Law and a DESS. He joined the National Police School  in 1991.
 
Since March 2014 he’s serving as Deputy Chief of UNPOL.
 
Mr. Lafon, 55, is married and father of 3 children.