Saraswathi Menon among seven experts nominated to review UN peace-building architecture

UNITED NATIONS: An eminent Indian academician is among seven experts nominated by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to be part of an advisory group that will conduct a policy and institutional review of the world body's peace- building architecture and make recommendations.

Saraswathi Menon, former Director of the Policy Division in UN Women, will be among the members of the Advisory Group to review peace building architecture.

The other experts nominated by UN Secretary General Ban include Retired Major General Anis Bajwa of Pakistan, Director of Security Leadership and Society Programme at King's College London Funmi Olonisakin of Nigeria and president of the Center for Strategy and Security in the Sahel Sahara Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah of Mauritania.

Former Executive Representative of the Secretary-General to Burundi Charles Petrie of France, economist Gert Rosenthal of Guatemala and former Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the African Union Edith Grace Ssempala of Uganda are also part of the group.

Menon brings an extensive experience as a researcher and academician as well as in the UN system, a statement released here said yesterday.

She has been the Director of UN Development Programme's (UNDP) Evaluation Office. Menon's career includes experience in both policy and programme areas.

She served as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Nepal and Deputy Chief of the Regional Programme and Policy Division in UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.

Before joining the UNDP, she lectured in sociology at the Madras University in India.

In December last year, the Presidents of the General Assembly and the Security Council asked the Secretary-General to nominate up to seven experts to form an Advisory Group on the review of the peace-building architecture.

The advisory group will undertake country studies in Burundi, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Timor-Leste and will conduct a policy and institutional review of the peace-building architecture.

It would also develop findings and recommendations based on this work.

The group will submit a report to the General Assembly and the Security Council for consideration through an inter-governmental process managed by co-facilitators appointed by the two principal organs.

The intergovernmental process should be concluded with a concurrent decision by both organs before the end of 2015.