Jean-David Levitte (born 14 June 1946) is a French diplomat who was France's Permanent Representative to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

from 2000 to 2002 and Ambassador to the United States from 2002 to 2007. He was also a diplomatic advisor and

sherpa Sherpa may refer to: Ethnography * Sherpa people, an ethnic group in north eastern Nepal * Sherpa language Organizations and companies * Sherpa (association), a French network of jurists dedicated to promoting corporate social responsibility * ...

to presidents

Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...

and

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

. Levitte was born in

Moissac Moissac () is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Occitanie region in southern France. The town is situated at the confluence of the rivers Garonne and Tarn at the Canal de Garonne. Route nationale N113 was constructed through ...

, in the south of France. He is a graduate of

Sciences Po , motto_lang = fr , mottoeng = Roots of the Future , type = Public university, Public research university''Grande école'' , established = , founder = Émile Boutmy , a ...

and of the French National School of Oriental Languages, where he studied Chinese and Indonesian. He is married to Marie-Cécile Jonas and has two daughters.

Diplomatic career

Levitte's first posts were in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

in 1970 and in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China from 1972 to 1974. In the French

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

itself, he has served as Director of Economic Affairs (1974–1975), Assistant Director of West Africa (1984–1986), Assistant Director of the Cabinet (1986–1988), Director of Asia and Oceania (1990–1993), and General Director of Cultural, Scientific, and Technical Relations (1993–1995). Between 1981 and 1984 Levitte was the Adviser to the Permanent Mission of France at the

in New York. In 1988, he was designated to his first position as Ambassador and served as the French Permanent Representative to the

United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG ...

from 1988 to 1990. Between 1975 and 1981, he was the ''chargé de mission'' at the General Secretariat of President

Valéry Giscard d'Estaing Valéry René Marie Georges Giscard d'Estaing (, , ; 2 February 19262 December 2020), also known as Giscard or VGE, was a French politician who served as President of France from 1974 to 1981. After serving as Minister of Finance under prime ...

. Between 1995 and 2000 he was a diplomatic advisor and sherpa to President

, a position to which he returned in 2007, under President

. From 2000 to 2002, Levitte was Ambassador to the United Nations in New York, representing France at the Security Council before and during the negotiation that lead to the

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 is a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on 8 November 2002, offering Iraq under Saddam Hussein "a final opportunity to comply with ...

on Iraq. He was President of the Security Council in September 2001 and presiding over the Council's deliberations following the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial ...

on the United States. From late 2002 to 2007, Levitte was Ambassador to the United States. He presented his ambassadorial credentials to President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

in Washington on December 9, 2002. He was succeeded by

Pierre Vimont Pierre Vimont (born 15 June 1949) is a French diplomat who served as the Executive Secretary-General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) from 2010 until 2015. His current rank in the French civil service is "Ambassadeur de France", which ...

, who was appointed on August 1, 2007.

Back to the Élysée

On May 16, 2007, Levitte was appointed as diplomatic advisor and

to President

, and the head of a future American-style National Security Council. The nature and extent of his new role were not immediately clear. While some commentators suggested he would not eclipse Minister of Foreign and European Affairs

Bernard Kouchner Bernard Kouchner KBE (born 1 November 1939) is a French politician and doctor. He is the co-founder of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Médecins du Monde. From 2007 until 2010, he was the French Minister of Foreign and European Affairs ...

, Levitte was elsewhere referred to as "seemingly the true Minister of Foreign Affairs." Despite assertions made while campaigning, it was still unclear to what extent President Sarkozy would treat national security and foreign affairs as the "reserved domain" of the presidency. Levitte left office on May 15, 2012 following Sarkozy's defeat in the 2012 presidential election, and joined Rock Creek Global Advisors in Washington, DC.

Other activities

* Club of Three, Member of the Steering Group *

European Council on Foreign Relations The European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is a pan-European think tank with offices in seven European capitals. Launched in October 2007, it conducts research on European foreign and security policy and provides a meeting space for decisi ...

(ECFR), Member of the Council *

French Institute of International Relations French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

(IFRI), Member of the Strategic Advisory Board *

Paris School of International Affairs The Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) is a graduate school of Sciences Po (also referred to as the ''Institut d'études politiques de Paris'') based in Paris, France, and it is generally considered to be one of the top rated and most ...

(PSIA), Member of the Strategic Committee *

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

(WEF), Member of the Global Future Council on Geopolitics (2018-2019) *

Geneva Centre for Security Policy The Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) is an international foundation that was established in 1995 under Swiss law to "promote the building and maintenance of peace, security and stability". The GCSP was founded by the Federal Department ...

(GCSP), President of the Foundation Council (2019-)
GCSP Foundation Council President]

(GCSP).

References

External links

*
Washington Diplomat bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Levitte, Jean-David 1946 births Living people Permanent Representatives of France to the United Nations Ambassadors of France to the United States Sciences Po alumni INALCO alumni People from Tarn-et-Garonne Commandeurs of the Légion d'honneur Knights of the Ordre national du Mérite Commandeurs of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, 2nd class