Ban Ki-moon appoints Joakim Reiter as Deputy Secretary-General of UN body

Mr Reiter is currently Director and Head of the International Trade Policy Department at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. He previously served as Ambassador and Swedish Envoy to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Geneva and Head of the Trade Section at the Permanent Representation of Sweden to the EU in Brussels. Mr Reiter also worked at the European Commission, DG Trade, and was a Special Adviser with responsibility for international economic issues to former Minister for Trade Leif Pagrotsky.

The appointment makes Mr Reiter the second most senior Swede at the UN after Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson.

“This appointment not only confirms Sweden’s central position in the UN, but also the major importance Sweden attaches to the UN. UNCTAD has an important role to play within the framework of the post-2015 agenda on the new global sustainability objectives, which have high priority from a Swedish perspective,” says Minister for Foreign Affairs Margot Wallström.

Minister for Enterprise and Energy Mikael Damberg also welcomes the appointment.

“UNCTAD contributes to improving the integration of developing countries in the global economy and thereby to promoting free and fair trade in accordance with the overall objectives of Swedish trade policy,” says Mr Damberg.

UNCTAD is based in Geneva and employs around 550 people. It is the focal point of UN work on trade and development harmony, as well as related financial issues, investment, technology/IT and sustainability.