UNITED NATIONS, July 6 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced Friday the appointment of Ayse Cihan Sultanoglu of Turkey as the UN Representative to the Geneva International Discussions (UNRGID).
Sultanoglu will succeed Antti Turunen of Finland upon assuming office.
The Geneva International Discussions are international talks, launched in October 2008, to address the consequences of the 2008 conflict in Georgia.
Sultanoglu brings over 35 years of distinguished service in the UN. Since 2012, she has served as the assistant secretary-general of the UN and assistant administrator and director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (RBEC) of the UN Development Programme (UNDP). Prior to this, she was the director of human resources in UNDP's Bureau of Management.
She has also served as UN resident coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Belarus (2004-2007) and in Lithuania (2000-2005); and as UNDP deputy resident representative in Morocco (1995-2000).
Sultanoglu holds a master of international affairs degree with a specialization in economic and political development and international business from the School of International Affairs of Columbia University as well as a bachelor of arts degree with honors in economics from Barnard College of Columbia University, New York.
