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Foreign Minister Gabriel congratulates Horst Köhler on his appointment as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara
Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel issued the following statement today (16 August) on Horst Köhler’s appointment as Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Western Sahara:
I would like to offer Horst Köhler my most sincere congratulations!
Horst Köhler has long devoted himself to the African continent with dedication and passion – for many years as Federal President and latterly on behalf of the African Development Bank. He is just the right man for the challenges at hand. Together with all those concerned, he will work on finding a just, viable political solution for the Western Sahara that is accepted by all sides.
Allow me to wish him every success for his new and important role.
Background:
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Prof. Horst Köhler as his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara today (16 August).
In 2012, then UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon made him a member of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. The panel’s report laid the foundations for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which was adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
Since 2016, Prof. Horst Köhler has, together with Kofi Annan, headed up a Special Panel of the African Development Bank that advises the bank on the implementation of its strategies.
Horst Köhler is the successor to Christopher Ross, who was the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Western Sahara from 2009.