The Permanent Representative

Thomas Mayr-Harting, the Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations, presented his credentials to Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on 9 December 2008. Since 1 January 2009 he has been representing Austria on the Security Council. In 2009, he acted as President of the Security Council in the month of November.

Prior to his current appointment, Mr. Mayr-Harting served as Political Director (Director General for Political Affairs) of the Foreign Ministry of Austria. He had occupied that position since 2003, after completing a four-year term as Austrian Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the Austrian Mission to NATO. Until his departure for New York, Mr. Mayr-Harting also chaired the supervisory board of the Austrian Development Agency.

Mr. Mayr-Harting joined the Austrian diplomatic service in 1979. In the course of his career he served, inter alia, with the Austrian Mission to the European Communities in Brussels (1982 – 1986), the Austrian Embassy in Moscow (1986 – 1990), the Private Office of the Austrian Foreign Minister (1991 – 1995) and as Deputy Political Director and Director for Security Policy and Policy Planning (1995 – 1999). From 2002 to 2004 Mr. Mayr-Harting also acted as Special Representative of the Austrian Foreign Minister for the Western Balkans.

Mr. Mayr-Harting received his law degree at the University of Vienna in 1977. From 1977 to 1978 he studied European law at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. In 1978, Mr. Mayr-Harting was also awarded the Diploma of The Hague Academy of International Law.

Mr. Mayr-Harting was born in 1954, is married and has three children.