NEW YORK April 10, 2006 - Larry D. Johnson, a lawyer and international law expert, has been appointed the United Nations’ new Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs. He will assume this position on May 1, 2006.
For the past academic year, Mr. Johnson has been a clinical professor with New York University’s Center for Global Affairs (www.scps.nyu.edu/global.affairs) teaching courses on International Law, International Organizations, and International Human Rights within the Master of Science in Global Affairs program at the NYU School of Continuing and Professional Studies. For several years he also served as one of the workshop leaders in the Center’s annual training programs for new UN diplomats.
“In these times of global uncertainty and opportunity, Larry Johnson’s experience, knowledge and deep commitment to the rule of international law will serve the United Nations well,” says Vera Jelinek, assistant dean and director of the NYU Center for Global Affairs. “While his appointment is a temporary loss for the Center, Larry will remain a role model for our students who seek careers that will affect positive changes on the global stage.”
Mr. Johnson formerly served as the Legal Adviser of the International Atomic Energy Agency (1997-2001) and Chef de Cabinet, Office of the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (2003-2005). He first joined the UN Secretariat in 1971, as an assistant legal officer in the Office of Legal Affairs, and last served at UN headquarters as principal legal officer in 1989 to 1997.
In addition to NYU, Johnson has been a visiting professor at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; UC Davis, School of Law; and the New England School of Law. He holds a B.A. from the University of Nebraska, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.P.A. from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.