Kanika Phommachanh was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations on June 1, 2007.

Phommachanh served as Permanent Representative designate since ugust 29, 2006.  Prior to this she was Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1997. She was previously Minister Counsellor and Charge d’Affaires at her country’s Permanent Mission in New York between 1991 and 1997.

Beginning her diplomatic career in October 1975, Phommachanh was appointed Private Secretary to the Chief of Cabinet in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In April 1976, she became a Desk Officer in the Ministry’s Eastern Europe Division, Department of Political Affairs 1 (Socialist Countries); winning promotion in January 1980 to Director of the North America Division, Department of Political Affairs 2 (Non-Socialist Countries), and rising to Deputy Director-General (1982) and then Director-General (1990).

Phommachanh holds a Bachelor of Arts in English studies from the Université de Montréal (1975) and a Master of Arts in international public policy (1994) from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

She was born on January 8, 1951 in Champassak, Lao People’s Democratic Republic. Phommachanh is married and has 2 children.

Contact Information

Permanent Mission of Lao People’s Democratic republic to the United Nations
317 East 51st St.
New York, NY 10022

Phone: (212) 832-2734
Fax: (212) 750-0039

Email: lao@un.int
Website: http://www.un.int/lao/