Mrs. Kyoko Shiotani, Ombudsman and Director of Office
Ms. Kyoko Shiotani (Japan) took up her functions as Ombudsman and Director of Office of the United Nations Ombudsman and Mediation Services in September 2011.
Before her appointment she joined the United Nations Office of the Ombudsman and Mediation Services as Regional Ombudsman based in Vienna in November 2009. Immediately prior to that, Ms. Shiotani served as Chief Civil Affairs Officer in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operation in Cyprus (UNFICYP) (2006 – 2009) and as First Officer in the Office of the Director for Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Issues in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General (2004 – 2006).
Ms. Shiotani joined the Organization in April 1992 as an Associate Political Affairs Officer in the Department of Political Affairs covering Asia and the Pacific Region (1992-1993) and as a Political Affairs Officer in the Asia and Middle East Division of the Office of Operations in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (1993 – 2004), where she served as political desk officer for a number of peacekeeping missions, including the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM), United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan (UNMOT), United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET), the United Nations Disengagement Force (UNDOF), United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation (UNTSO), and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the latter during the withdrawal of Israeli forces from south Lebanon and the drawing of the Blue Line. She also served in the Best Practices Unit of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (2002-2003) and in the front office of the Assistant Secretary General for Peacekeeping (2003-2004).
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Shiotani worked as an interpreter/translator for high-level Official Development Assistance negotiations in the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in Tokyo (1986-89); and as Research Assistant at the East Asian Institute of Columbia University (1989-1991).
Ms. Shiotani holds a Master of International Affairs degree from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the International University in the United Kingdom. She has also received certification as an Ombudsman from the International Ombudsman Association (IOA) as well as a Mediator from the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
Ms. Shiotani speaks English, Japanese and Arabic. She is married and has two children.