Supachai reappointed to top UN trade post

Supachai Panitchpakdi has been reappointed secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development for another four years.

Supachai: Says he’s honoured to continue

The United Nations General Assembly on Monday confirmed the reappointment of the former deputy prime minister and former chief of the World Trade Organisation.

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon proposed to the General Assembly that Mr Supachai, whose tenure ends in August, be reappointed.

His second four-year term will run from Sept 1 to Aug 31, 2013.

"I am honoured to continue with the important work of this organisation, especially at such a critical time for the economies of developing countries", the 63-year-old Unctad chief said.

Mr Ban's request for the reappointment was not free of controversy as the Ivory Coast fielded a candidate for the job in Guy-Alain Gauze, its former foreign trade minister and current ambassador to the UN in Geneva, where Unctad is based.

Ivory Coast's UN representative in New York said the African nation had serious reservations about the selection process and Unctad's regional balance.

After failing to get support from the 192-nation assembly, the Ivory Coast criticised the selection process, saying it was unfair to Africa and demanded a balanced regional representation.

Mr Supachai was director-general of the WTO from 2002 to 2005.

In the past few years, Mr Supachai's name has been raised repeatedly as a possible alternative choice for prime minister if the country could find no one else.

But he has denied claims he will re-enter politics.

Mr Supachai began his career at the Bank of Thailand before entering politics in 1986.

He introduced the value-added tax system and laid the foundation for the establishment of the Export-Import Bank.

He is also credited with devising a strong fiscal discipline which subsequently led to a series of budget surpluses, enabling Thailand to achieve a high economic growth rate for many years.