UNMIK - At a Glance

JOACHIM RÜCKER (GERMANY)

Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo

Lawrence G. Rossin was most recently the Senior International Coordinator for the Save Darfur Coalition. In this capacity, he was responsible for designing and leading implementation of the Coalition’s outreach to foreign governments and non-governmental organizations to advocate on behalf of the people of Darfur.

Ambassador Rossin previously was Assistant Secretary General and Principal Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), and before that for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). In each position, Mr. Rossin was the deputy head of a UN peacekeeping Mission with a complex Security Council mandate, several thousand military, police and civilian personnel, and a multi-hundred million-dollar budget.

Prior to his United Nations service, Ambassador Rossin was a career member of the U.S. Foreign Service, retiring in 2004 at the rank of Minister-Counselor. He was American Ambassador to Croatia, served twice on the National Security Council staff (as Senior Director for Strategic Planning and Southwest Asia, and earlier as Director for Inter-American Affairs), and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Earlier, he was State Department Director for South-Central Europe during the Kosovo crisis, and then was sent to Kosovo to establish and head the U.S. diplomatic office there at the end of the war in 1999. Other assignments were Deputy Chief of Mission in Spain, Director for Chief of Mission Authority and Overseas Staffing for the State Department, Political Counselor in The Hague and Port-au-Prince, and other positions in Washington, Mali, South Africa, Barbados and Grenada.

Ambassador Rossin received the B.A. degree in economics in 1975 from Claremont McKenna College in California. He attended the NATO Defense College in Rome, Italy, and completed MIT’s “Seminar XXI” program and the Aspen Institute Executive Seminar. He speaks French and Spanish and some Dutch and Croatian. He received many U.S. Government awards, including the Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the State Department Award for Valor, as well as the Order of Duke Branimir from Croatian President Stjepan Mesic. He is married to Debra McGowan and has one daughter and one son.

Anil Vasisht (India)

Acting Director Civil Administration
United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo

Mr. Vasisht was appointed Acting Director of Civil Administration effective 01 July 2007. He has been with UNMIK since July 1999 and has held a number of positions including that of Deputy Director Civil Administration and Head of Local Governance Unit, Regional Representative South West Region, Municipal Administrator/Representative of Prishtinë/Priština and Gjakove/Dakovica, and Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Office of the DSRSG Civil Administration.

A national of India, Mr. Vasisht has been with the UN since 1994. Prior to joining UNMIK, he served as Political and Humanitarian Affairs Officer with UNPREDEP (FYROM) and from 1994 to 1998 with DPKO, as Planning Officer/Deputy Chief of Lessons Learned Unit.

Prior to joining the United Nations he was a career officer in the Indian Army and held a number of command/staff and special appointments including Aide-de-Camp to two Presidents of India, before taking voluntary retirement in the rank of Colonel.

Ambassador Tim Guldimann (Switzerland)

Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Head of OSCE pillar, UNMIK

Tim Guldimann from Switzerland took office as Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo on 1 October 2007.

The appointment marks Guldimann's return to OSCE service; he was Head of the OSCE Mission in Croatia from 1997 to 1999, and he led the OSCE Assistance Group in Chechnya from 1996 to 1997.
Prior to this posting, during a temporary leave from the Swiss MFA, he taught at a number of universities in Europe, including the University of Frankfurt, the University of Bern and the College of Europe in Bruges and Warsaw. From 1999 to 2004 he served as Swiss Ambassador in Teheran. Guldimann joined the Swiss diplomatic service in 1982.

Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General, Head of EU Pillar, UNMIK

Paul Acda has been appointed Acting DSRSG, Head of the EU Pillar, effective 1 September. Mr. Acda has served as Deputy DSRSG, EU Pillar, since March 2006. He joined the EU Pillar on 1 January 2004 as Director General of the UNMIK Customs Service. UNMIK Customs collects over 70% of the revenue for the Kosovo Consolidated Fund, and is one of the major law enforcement bodies in Kosovo.

Mr. Acda has 38 years service within HM Customs and Excise (UK Customs). His service in UK Customs was primarily within the law enforcement area, in particular criminal investigation. His last appointment in HM Customs was Head of Investigation for UK North Region (Northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Part of this job included being the Customs representative on the Northern Ireland Ministerial Anti Organized Crime Task Force and on the Scottish Ministerial Committee on Drugs Enforcement. A British citizen, Mr. Acda, was a reserve Army Officer for 35 years achieving the rank of Colonel. In 1994 he was appointed Honorary Aide de Camp to HM The Queen.