Éric Falt Explained

Eric Falt
Office:Director of the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and UNESCO Representative in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia.
Term Start:October 2022
Predecessor:Golda El-Khoury
Office2:Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information, UNESCO Headquarters
Term Start2:1 July 2010
Term End2:May 2018

Eric Falt (born 22 August 1962) is a French senior official at the United Nations, currently serving as the director of the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and UNESCO representative in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia.[1] Prior to his current appointment, he served at senior level appointments at the UN and the UNESCO. He was the director of the UNESCO New Delhi Office between 2018 and 2022. He also served as the assistant director-general for external relations and public information at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris between 2010 and 2018.

Falt was a trustee for the Television Trust for the Environment, London, from 2002 to 2009, and is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Early life and education

Falt was born on August 22, 1962, in Lyon, France. He completed his bachelor's degree in English and history from French: [[Lumière University Lyon 2]], in 1987. In 1991, he obtained a master's degree in American studies, from Purdue University.[2] He also has a degree in journalism from French: [[University of Tours|Universite Francois Rabelais]], France.

Career

The majority of Falt's career has been with the United Nations (UN) and its specialized agencies. Before joining the UN, he served as a press attache for the Consulate General of France in Chicago, from 1989 to 1991, and the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations from 1989 to 1991.[3]

United Nations and its agencies

In 1991, Falt had his appointment with UN as a press attache to the Office of Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations. In 1992, he was appointed as a spokesman for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia, which oversaw and sponsored the 1993 Cambodian general election. In May 1993, Falt announced the results of the elections. Later on, he served with the UN on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in Haiti and Iraq. In 1998, he was appointed the director of the UN Information Centre in Islamabad, Pakistan, a position that he held until 2002.

Between 2002 and 2007, he simultaneously served as the director of both the Communications for the United Nations Environment Programme and the UN Information Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. He later directed the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York, before moving to United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris in 2010,[4] as the assistant director-general for external relations and public information.[5]

Between 2018 and 2022,[6] he was based in New Delhi, India, and serves as director and UNESCO representative for the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office, which covers Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.[7]

Since October 2022, he has been the director of the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and UNESCO Representative in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. He is based in Rabat.

Personal life

Falt is married and has five sons.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: « Equipe des Nations Unies au Maroc (Mars 2024) ». . 29 March 2024 . United Nations in Morocco.
  2. Web site: Secretary-General appoints Eric Falt as director of UN Information Centre in Islamabad. . 12 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190612065721/https://www.un.org/press/en/1998/19981216.bio3212.html . 12 June 2019 . 16 December 1998.
  3. Web site: Eric Falt . United Nations . 12 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190528185732/https://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/annualconfs/61/bio_eric_falt.shtml . 28 May 2019.
  4. Web site: UNESCO’s Director-General appoints her senior staff . . 12 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304112745/http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/unescos_director_general_appoints_her_senior_staff/ . 4 March 2016 . 14 March 2010.
  5. Web site: Eric Falt . Dhillon Marty Foundation . 12 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915211602/https://www.dhillonmarty.org/eric-falt/ . 15 September 2017.
  6. Web site: Director and UNESCO Representative for the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives and Sri Lanka . Cyber Law . 12 June 2019.
  7. Web site: UN Team in India . United Nations in India . 12 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181128224230/http://in.one.un.org/page/un-team/ . 28 November 2018.