Ex-Spanish Mayor Nominated As Chief Of UN Agency

Former Spanish Mayor Nominated As Next Chief Of UN Urban Housing Agency

New York, Aug 23 2010 2:10PM

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today nominated a former mayor of Barcelona as the next head of the United Nations agency tasked with promoting environmentally and socially sustainable cities and towns.

If elected by the General Assembly, Joan Clos of Spain will serve as Executive Director of the UN Human Settlements Programme ("http://www.unhabitat.org/" UN-HABITAT) for a four-year term starting on 18 October. This post is at the level of Under-Secretary-General.

Mr. Clos, 61, served as mayor of Barcelona from 1997 until 2006 and more recently he was industry, tourism and trade minister for Spain and then the country’s ambassador to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Mr. Clos would succeed Anna Tibaijuka, who has headed UN-HABITATsince it was formed in 2001 to replace the UN Centre for Human Settlements. The agency has the goal of providing adequate shelter for all by encouraging the development of better housing in cities and towns.

ENDS

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