A career diplomat, Mr. Sha Zukang became the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs on 1 July, 2007. As such, he heads the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which is responsible for the follow-up to the major United Nations Summits and Conferences, and services the Economic and Social Council and the Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly. He also chairs the United Nations Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs. He is a graduate of Nanjing University, China.

Prior to assuming his present position in the United Nations, Mr. Sha Zukang held a number of posts in the diplomatic service of the People’s Republic of China. He has varied experience with multilateral organizations and international conferences. He was Coordinator of the Like-Minded Group of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council from 2004 to 2007, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee and Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 11th session from 2003 to 2004, President of the Trade and Development Board, 50th Session of UNCTAD, Chairperson of the Government group of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization from 2002 to 2003, and member of the UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Disarmament matters from 1994 to 1999. In addition, he has served as president, vice president, chairperson, coordinator and expert in many international conferences in the field of arms control, trade, intellectual property, social affairs, and telecommunications, among others.

Mr. Sha Zukang established the Department of Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China and became its first Director-General. In connection with China's implementation of arms control and human rights treaties, he took charge on many occasions of the coordination between government agencies, military, and civil society in preparing and submitting the implementation reports. He facilitated the on-site inspections by experts and visits by UN working groups and rapporteurs, encouraged the development of Chinese non-governmental organizations, and promoted the opening of offices in China by international organizations.

Mr. Sha Zukang participated, as the representative of the Chinese government, in the negotiation and review of many important international treaties on arms control and disarmament such as Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Chemical Weapons Convention, Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention, and Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. He also participated in drafting some major arms control and international security resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Security Council. He has championed international security cooperation with a view to maintaining international peace and regional stability and security.

As a senior official of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, he was involved in the settlement of the first Korean nuclear crisis from 1993 to 1994. As the chief advisor to Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, he worked for the settlement of South Asia nuclear crisis in 1998 and participated in the drafting and negotiation of the P-5 Foreign Ministers' Joint Communiqué. He also contributed to the adoption of the resolution 1172 by the Security Council. As Chinese ambassador, he facilitated the handling of SARS outbreaks by the Chinese government and the World Health Organization in 2003.

Mr. Sha Zukang worked actively to promote China's bilateral arms control cooperation with Russia, the United States, and other countries. As the representative of China, he participated in the negotiation and drafting of the documents with the United States on detargeting of nuclear weapons against each other. He facilitated the issuance of the joint Sino-Russian statement on No-First-Use of Nuclear Weapons and Detargeting of Strategic Nuclear Weapons Against Each Other, in September 1994, and the announcement by the heads of state of China and U.S. on mutual detargeting of strategic nuclear weapons in June 1998.

His postings in diplomatic missions abroad included London, Colombo, New Delhi, New York and Geneva. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he served variously as Counselor of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, Deputy Director-General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs, Director-General of the Department of Arms Control, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Chinese Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva. In his 37 years of diplomatic service, Mr. Sha Zukang's portfolios have covered a range of fields including economic and social affairs, human rights and humanitarian affairs, politics, and security.

Mr. Sha was born in September 1947. He is a native of Jiangsu Province and is married, with one son. He is fluent in English and has some proficiency in French.

Chronology

• 2001-2007 Permanent Representative and Ambassador, Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China, Geneva.
• 1997-2001 Director-General, Department of Arms Control, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China.
• 1995-1997 Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs and Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of China, Geneva.
• 1992-1995 Counselor and Deputy Director-General, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China.
• 1988-1992 First Secretary and Counselor, Permanent Mission of China, New York.
• 1985-1988 Third Secretary, Deputy Division Director and First Secretary, Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China.
• 1980-1985 Attache and Third Secretary, Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of India.
• 1974-1980 Staff Member, Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
• 1971-1974 Staff Member, Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United Kingdom of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Major Achievements

Economic Affairs

• 2006 Chairman of Retreat (at the Ambassador Level) on the Eminent Persons' Report to the Secretary-General of UNCTAD.
• 2006 Moderator of Brainstorming Retreat (at the Ambassador Level) on UNCTAD, Mid-term Review on UNCTAD 11th Session.
• 2004 Chairman of the Committee of the Whole, UNCTAD, 11th Session, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
• 2003-2004 President of the Trade and Development Board, 50th Session, UNCTAD and President of the Advisory Body to the Secretary General of UNCTAD, Geneva.
• 2003-2004 Chairman of the Preparatory Committee of UNCTAD 11th session, Geneva.
• 2002-2003 Co-chair of the Prepcom for World Intellectual Property Organization Beijing Summit on Intellectual Properties, Geneva.
• 2006 Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation to the 17th ITU Plenipotentiary Conference, Antalya, Turkey.
• 2006 Expert to the Seventh International Conference on Europe-Africa organized by Institute Aspen France.
• 2004-2006 Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation to the 40th-42nd Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization.
• 2002-2005 Head of the Chinese Delegation to Preparatory Committees of the World Summit on Information Society, Geneva phase, Tunis phase.
• Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation to the World Summit on Information Society, Geneva phase, Tunis phase.
• 2002-2007 Delegate of Chinese Government to World Economic Forum Annual Meetings at Davos.
• 2001-2006 Head of Chinese Delegation to the annual meetings of Council of Representatives of the South center.
• 2001-2002 Ambassador on China's accession to WTO.

Social Affairs

• 2006 Vice-Chairman of the First Session of the Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Treaty on Tobacco Control.
• 2005 Member of the 43rd UNITAR Board Meeting.
• 2004-2006 Coordinator of the Like-Minded Group of the Commission on Human Rights and the Human Rights Council.
• 2002-2003 Chairperson of the Government group of the Governing Body of the International Labor Office.
• 2001-2006 Substitute Regular Government Member of the Governing Body of the International Labor Office.
• 2006 Head of the Chinese delegation to the 1st and 2nd sessions of the Human Rights Council of the United Nations.
• 2006 Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation to the First Special Session of the World Health Assembly, and to the 119th Session of the Executive Board meeting of the World Health Organization, Geneva.
• 2006 Head of the Chinese Delegation to the First Session of the Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Treaty on Tobacco Control.
• 2005 Head of the Chinese delegation in the dialogue with the UN Committee on the Economical, Social and Cultural Rights on the Initial Report of the Chinese Government on Implementation of the Covenant of the Economical, Social and Cultural Rights.
• 2005 Head of the Chinese delegation in the dialogue with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the 2nd Report of the Chinese Government on Implementation of the Convention of the Rights of the Child.
• 2005 Head of the Chinese Delegation to the Diplomatic conference of High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions.
• 2004-2005 Head of the Chinese Delegation to the First and Second sessions of the Intergovernmental Working Group on amending the International Health Regulations.
• 2004 Delegate to the China Employment Forum organized by the International Labor Conference, Beijing.
• 2003-2006 Head of the Chinese Delegation to the 28th and 29th International Conferences of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.
• 2002-2006 Head of the Chinese delegation to the 58th-62nd sessions of the Human Rights Commission of the United Nations.
• 2002-2006 Deputy Head of the Chinese Delegation to the 55th-59th World Health Assembly.
• 2001-2006 Chinese Delegate to the 90th-95th International Labor Conferences.
• 2001-2005 Head of the Chinese Observer delegation to the 82nd-90th sessions of the Council of the International Organization for Migration.
• 2001-2003 Head of the Chinese delegation to the 52nd-54th sessions of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Programme.
• 2001 Delegate to the Global Employment Forum organized by the International Labor Conference, Geneva.
• 2005-2007: Member of UNITAR Executive Board, second term.
• 2002-2004: Member of UNITAR Executive Board, by the invitation of the Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Arms Control and Disarmament Affairs

• 2006: Vice-President of the Fourth Review Conference of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), Geneva.
• 2006: Vice-President of the Fourth Annual Conference of the States Parties to the Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW), Geneva.
• 2001-2002: Vice-President of the Fifth Review Conference of the States Parties to the BWC, Geneva.
• 2001: Vice-President of the Second Review Conference of the States Parties to the CCW, and the Third Annual Conference of the States Parties to the Amended APII to the CCW, Geneva.
• 1992-1993: Chinese Expert working for the governmental group of the UN conventional arms registry.
• 2006: Head of the Chinese Delegation to the First Part of the 2006 Session of the Conference of Disarmament, Geneva.
• 2000: Head of the Chinese Delegation to the Sixth NPT Review Conference.
• 1998: Adviser to Chinese Foreign Minister Mr. Tang Jiaxuan, attending the P-5 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Geneva on the South Asia Nuclear Crisis, and acting as Chief Chinese negotiator in the drafting and negotiation on the P-5 Foreign Ministers' final Joint Communiqué which constitutes the basis of the resolution 1172 of the UN Security Council.
• 1995-2001: Head of the Chinese Delegation to the First and Second Review Conferences of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) in 1995-1996 and 2001; the Fourth and Fifth BWC Review Conferences in 1997 and 2001; the 1rst-4th Annual Conferences of the States Parties to the Amended Protocol II to the CCW, in 1998-2001 and the First Conference on Facilitating the Entry into Force of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in 2001.
• 1995-1997: Head of the Chinese Delegation to the Sessions of the Conference of Disarmament.
• 1995-1997: Head of the Chinese Delegation to the UN Disarmament Commission Sessions.
• 1995: Adviser to Chinese Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Mr. Qian Qishen and Head of the Chinese Delegation attending the Fifth Non-Proliferation Treaty Review and Extension Conference, actively contributing to the historic decision by the Conference to the extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
• 1995: Chinese negotiator on the drafting and adoption of the resolution 984 by the UN Security Council providing legally-binding positive security assurances (PSAs) to come to the aid of Non-Nuclear Weapons States in the event of a nuclear attack against them.
• 1993-1994: One of the major senior officers of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in dealing with the First Korean Nuclear Crisis.
• 1993: Representative of Chinese Government in dealing with the Chinese Ship "Yinhehao" Event.
• 2001-present: Member of China Arms Control and Disarmament Association.
• 1994-1999: Member of the Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters
• 1998: Chinese Negotiator with US State Department in preparation of 3 Joint Communiqués on the South Asia Nuclear Issue, the protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) and the Amended APII to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and on drafting the bilateral document signed by the heads of State of two countries on not targeting strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control at each other's countries.
• 1994: Chinese Negotiator with Russia on the drafting of the Joint Declaration signed by Chinese President Jiang Zemin and Russian President Boris Yeltsin to detarget strategic nuclear weapons under their respective control from each other.

Political Affairs

• 2005: Chinese Expert to the Stanley Foundation Conference on UN Reform, Switzerland.
• 2003: Special Adviser to the Delegation of Chinese National People's Congress to the 109th General Assembly of the Inter-Parliament Union, Geneva.
• 2002-2006: Head of the Chinese delegation to the 39th-60th sessions of the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission, Geneva.
• 1994-1995: Chinese Negotiator with Ukraine and Kazakhstan in the drafting and consultation on the documents to provide security assurance to both countries.