UN Chief extends Indian peacekeeping official's mandate

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has extended for a year the mandate of top peacekeeping official and senior Indian diplomat Atul Khare.

The mandate for Khare, who was appointed United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Field Support on 7 January 2015, will be extended till April 1, 2018.

The mandates of senior officials working in the peace and security pillar Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant-Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support Oscar Fernandez-Taranco have also been extended.

Guterres also announced on Tuesday the establishment of an internal review team that will take forward the reforms to the UN Secretariat peace and security strategy, functioning and architecture, which he had outlined when he was appointed the Secretary-General last year.

The team will be led by Tamrat Samuel, an Eritrean national who held numerous senior UN appointments.

The review team has been tasked to submit recommendations to Guterres by June this year, which will then initiate a process of consultations with UN Member States and other relevant entities.

Guterres also announced his intention to appoint Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France as Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, for one year beginning April 1.