UN chief Ban Ki-moon has appointed French UN ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert as his special envoy in charge of humanitarian affairs for Pakistan, diplomatic sources told AFP on Monday. Ripert would hold the renewable position for an initial six months, sources said. The appointment is expected to announced shortly.
The 56-year-old diplomat, who has represented Paris at the United Nations since August 2007, was set to step down as ambassador at the end of the month. During his time here Ripert highlighted humanitarian issues, addressing the Security Council on global hotspots in Myanmar, Darfur and Sri Lanka.
He has also called for action to protect children living through armed conflict. Northwest Pakistan has faced one of the world's worst humanitarian crises in recent years in the wake of brutal fighting between government troops and strongholds of insurgents linked to the al Qaeda network.