On 14 November, United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Jose Miguel Barreto of Peru as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guatemala, with the host Government’s approval.
Mr. Barreto brings over 29 years of leadership experience in the areas of sustainable development, humanitarian affairs and peacebuilding to the position. At the United Nations, he most recently served as Resident Coordinator ad interim for Chile and previously as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean with the World Food Programme (WFP), a position he held after occupying other senior posts with WFP, including Representative and Country Director in Colombia and in Honduras, and Deputy Country Director in Ethiopia. While in Honduras, he also served as United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim and as the United Nations Designated Official.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Barreto worked in the Government of Peru as Director of the United Nations and Multilateral Affairs with the Foreign Ministry, and as alternate representative to the international organizations in Rome, where he was elected President of the WFP Executive Board. He also took on senior diplomatic roles at the Permanent Mission of Peru to the United Nations in New York, including Secretary of the Peruvian Chemical Weapons Convention.
He holds a master’s degree in international relations and diplomacy from the Diplomatic Academy of Peru and a bachelor’s degree in law from the Universidad San Martín de Porres in Lima, Peru.
