Gerard Araud was appointed Ambassador to the United Nations on September 10, 2009.
Araud graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, the École nationale d’administration, the École polytechnique and the École nationale de la statistique et de l’administration économique and joined the diplomatic corps in 1982. His first posting was at the Embassy of France in Tel Aviv as First Secretary, from 1982 to 1984. He was then assigned to Paris, at the Analysis and Forecasting Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he was responsible for Middle East issues. From 1987 to 1991 he was Counselor at the Embassy of France in Washington, where he was also responsible for Middle East issues. He was Assistant Director of European Community Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1991 to 1993 and became Diplomatic Advisor to the French Minister of Defense François Léotard in 1993.
Araud joined the French delegation to the North Atlantic Council (NATO) in Brussels in 1995 as Deputy Permanent Representative. He became Director for Strategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2000. He was Ambassador of France to Israel from 2003 to 2006.
In September 2006, Araud was appointed Director General for Political Affairs and Security, Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On 15 July 2009, he was appointed Permanent Representative of France to the Security Council and Head of the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations.
Contact Information
Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations
245 East 47th St., 44th floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 702 4900
Fax: (212) 421 6889
Email: france@franceonu.org
Website: http://www.franceonu.org