United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is pleased to announce the appointment of Damian Cardona-Onses of Spain as Director of the United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) in Dakar, Senegal. The Information Centre in Dakar covers Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal. Mr. Cardona assumed his new duties on 1 February 2015.
Since 1 August 2007, Mr. Cardona has held the position of Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Bogota, Colombia, an office that provides service to Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela. He also has extensive United Nations mission experience, serving as the Spokesperson for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) from September 2004 until July 2007; as a Civil Affairs Officer for the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) in 1996; as a Human Rights Observer with the United Nations Mission in Haiti (UNMIH) in 1995; and as an Electoral Observer in South Africa and Mozambique in April and November 2004, respectively.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Cardona was the Director of International Relations with the Universal Forum of Cultures Barcelona 2004, sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), from May 2002 until August 2004; the Middle East Regional Director for Foundation FPSC, a Spanish non-governmental organization, from January 2000 until May 2002; the Middle East Regional Development and Information Delegate for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from December 1996 until November 1999; and the West Africa Regional Development and Information Delegate for the Spanish Red Cross from September 1992 until January 1994.
Mr. Cardona holds a master’s degree in political science and international relations from the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain, as well as a diploma in political studies from the Institut d’études politiques of Grenoble, France. He is married and has three children.