17 August 2012 – The new Special Representative of Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB) Parfait Onanga-Anyanga today expressed his willingness to work closely with Burundian government and all peace stakeholders towards a lasting peace, stability and development.
SRSG Onanga-Anyanga who officially took office on Thursday, reminded the UN investments to help the country move from conflict to peace and stated that "the major challenge for us now is to ensure that together with the government of Burundi we can move towards a greater peace and stability to offer the country an opportunity to develop itself and provide for its own people." "I am looking forward to working closely with the Government and all peace stakeholders in Burundi. We must involve everyone".
He also expressed his honor for being appointed by the Secretary-General as his Special Representative and Head of BNUB.
The office replaced the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB) on 1 January 2011 "to support the progress achieved in recent years by all national stakeholders in consolidating peace, democracy and development" in the country.
Prior to his appointment, Mr. Onanga-Anyanga was the Director of the Office of the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, a position he has held since 2007. Prior to that, he was Special Adviser to the President of the sixtieth and sixty-first sessions of the General Assembly from 2005 to 2007. From 1998-2004, he held a variety of political and managerial positions at the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna and New York.
Earlier in his career, he was acting Secretary of the United Nations Standing Advisory Committee for Security Questions in Central Africa, and he served as First Counselor for disarmament and political affairs at the Permanent Mission of Gabon to the United Nations in New York.
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