Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva

Today I announce the appointment of Ms Sally Mansfield as Australia's next Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva. Ms Mansfield will also be Australia's Ambassador for Disarmament.

Through our Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, Australia engages with the UN, its specialised agencies and other forums to promote our national interests. We help to develop global responses on a range of issues, including humanitarian and refugee matters, human rights, health, labour, telecommunications and disarmament.

Ms Mansfield will serve as Australia's representative to the Human Rights Council, the world's peak body for promoting and protecting human rights, and will work with other states, UN mechanisms and civil society to help shape the international community's response to the most pressing human rights issues.

Another key focus will be to prepare for a successful 2020 Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty Review Conference outcome, and to promote cooperation and trust across the range of conventional and weapons of mass destruction forums.

Ms Mansfield is a senior career officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and was most recently Chief People Officer. She has previously served overseas as Deputy Head of Mission and Permanent Delegate for Australia to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Australian Embassy, Paris; and Australia's Consul-General to New Caledonia. In Canberra, she has served as Assistant Secretary, Staffing Branch, DFAT; and Chief of Protocol, DFAT.

Ms Mansfield holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Western Australia, a Graduate Diploma in Public Administration from Ecole Nationale d'Administration, and a Graduate Diploma in Business Management from Monash University.

I thank previous Ambassador John Quinn for his contributions to advancing Australia's interests in Geneva UN since 2014.