Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on Mr. Alain Le Roy, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations

Mr. Alain Le Roy, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, has informed the Secretary-General that he will not seek a further extension of his appointment, which will expire on 23 August 2011. The Secretary-General deeply regrets that Mr. Le Roy is not able to continue to serve the United Nations in this position, but he fully understands the family reasons behind Mr. Le Roy's decision.

The Secretary-General wishes to thank Mr. Le Roy for his outstanding service over the past three years. This has been a period of extraordinary challenges for United Nations peacekeeping in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, Sudan, Côte d'Ivoire and a dozen other very demanding operations. Mr. Le Roy has met all these operational challenges with great skill and dedication, which resulted in important achievements on the ground. At the same time, he has worked constantly and successfully with Member States and other partners to make United Nations peacekeeping ever more effective and efficient.

The Secretary-General looks forward to continuing to work with Mr. Le Roy until his departure in late August, and will have other opportunities to personally express to Mr. Le Roy his appreciation for his service to the United Nations. The Secretary-General also looks forward to maintaining contact with Mr. Le Roy in the future on issues of mutual concern. In the meantime, the Secretary-General will review possible replacements for Mr. Le Roy.