Malloch Brown to be U.N. deputy chief

UNITED NATIONS, March 3 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named Chef de Cabinet Mark Malloch Brown to become Deputy Secretary-General April 1.

Malloch Brown, who has played a key role in U.N. reform and previously headed up the U.N. Development Program, replaces Louise Frechette, when she steps down as previously announced, March 31. He was named chef de cabinet in January 2005.

The secretary-general's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric made the announcement Friday. Annan's second and final five-year term ends Dec. 31.

As chef de cabinet Malloch Brown has worked closely with the Annan and Frechette on all aspects of U.N. work, including helping to set out an ambitious reform agenda, the spokesman said.

While UNDP head, he also led efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals a set of targets set by the U.N. Millennium Summit in 2000 which seek to slash a host of socio-economic ills such as extreme poverty and hunger by 2015.

Prior to his appointment with UNDP, Malloch Brown, a British citizen, spent five years at the World Bank, including as Vice-President for External Affairs and Vice-President for United Nations Affairs..

Dujarric also announced Vijay Nambiar, currently deputy national security advisor to the government of India and head of the National Security Council Secretariat, has been appointed special adviser to the secretary-general, at the level of undersecretary-general. He replaces longtime top troubleshooter and Annan adviser Lakhdar Brahimi who recently retired.

Alicia Barcena of Mexico, who was serving as Malloch Brown's deputy chef de cabinet, will become acting chef de cabinet, the spokesman said.

Nambiar previously served as India's Ambassador to the United Nations while Barcena served as deputy executive secretary of the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.