Michel Kafando

Michel Kafando (born August 18, 1942 in Ouagadougou) is the Permanent Representative (Ambassador) for Burkina Faso to the United Nations. He is currently in his second term, and presented his credentials to the Secretary-General of the United Nations on 15 April 1998. He has also been his nation's ambassador to Cuba.

[edit] Background

Kafando attained a bachelor's degree in public law from the University of Bordeaux in 1969, and then a diploma in political studies in 1972 in Paris. He later gained a PhD in Political Science at the Sorbonne in 1990. He is married, and has one child.

Michel Kafando was the Foreign Minister for Upper Volta (as Burkina Faso was then known) from 1982-83. He was also a Vice-President of the General Assembly in 1982. He has headed many delegations to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), and is a Vice-President of the African Centre for Environmental Protection (an NGO).