Jean Pierre Lacroix appointed new UN peacekeeping chief

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday announced the appointment of Jean-Pierre Lacroix of France to head UN peacekeeping for a year pending a review of the world body’s functions and structure.

The UN’s political affairs chief, Jeffrey Feltman of the United States, will remain at that post, also for a year.

The two under-secretary-general positions are among the most high-profile at the United Nations.

Lacroix, 56, will replace Herve Ladsous who steps down in March after six years in the top



job.

Currently director for the United Nations at the French foreign ministry, Lacroix will take over UN peacekeeping as it struggles to overcome a scandal over mounting cases of sexual abuse by troops serving in peace missions.

The United States, the biggest financial contributor to UN peacekeeping, is considering cuts to its contribution, currently at 29 percent of the $7.9 billion budget for 2017.

Guterres took over from Ban Ki-moon on January 1 with a pledge to reform the United Nations to improve its capacity to address global crises and prevent conflicts.