Eric Falt (born 22 August 1962) is a French senior official at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

, currently serving as the director of the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Office for the Maghreb and UNESCO representative in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. Prior to his current appointment, he served at senior level appointments at the UN and the UNESCO. He was the director of the UNESCO New Delhi Office between 2018 and 2022. He also served as the assistant director-general for external relations and public information at

UNESCO Headquarters UNESCO Headquarters, or Maison de l'UNESCO, is a building inaugurated on 3 November 1958 at number 7 Place de Fontenoy in Paris, France, to serve as the headquarters for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

between 2010 and 2018. Falt was a trustee for the

Television Trust for the Environment Television for the Environment (tve) tve is a UK-registered charity founded by the United Nations Environment Programme, WWF-UK, and Central Independent Television (now part of ITV) in 1984. The organisation uses the power of storytelling to driv ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, from 2002 to 2009, and is a fellow of the

Royal Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

Early life and education

Falt was born on August 22, 1962, in Lyon, France. He completed his bachelor's degree in English and history from , in 1987. In 1991, he obtained a master's degree in

American studies American studies or American civilization is an interdisciplinarity, interdisciplinary field of scholarship that examines American literature, History of the United States, history, Society of the United States, society, and Culture of the Unit ...

, from

Purdue University Purdue University is a Public university#United States, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded ...

. He also has a degree in journalism from , France.

Career

The majority of Falt's career has been with the United Nations (UN) and its specialized agencies. Before joining the UN, he served as a press attache for the Consulate General of France in Chicago, from 1989 to 1991, and the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations from 1989 to 1991.

United Nations and its agencies

In 1991, Falt had his appointment with UN as a press attache to the Office of

Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations The role of the ambassador and permanent representative of France to the United Nations () is as the leader of the French delegation to the United Nations in New York and as head of the Permanent Mission of France to the UN. The position has the r ...

. In 1992, he was appointed as a spokesman for the

United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia The United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) was a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Cambodia in 1992–93 formed following the 1991 Paris Peace Accords. This was the first occasion in which the UN directly assumed re ...

, which oversaw and sponsored the

1993 Cambodian general election General elections were held in Cambodia between 23 and 28 May 1993. The result was a hung parliament with the FUNCINPEC, FUNCINPEC Party being the largest party with 58 seats. Voter turnout was 89.56%.Widyono (2008), p. 124 The elections were co ...

. In May 1993, Falt announced the results of the elections. Later on, he served with the UN on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

. In 1998, he was appointed the director of the UN Information Centre in

Islamabad Islamabad (; , ; ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's tenth-most populous city with a population of over 1.1 million and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital Territory. Bu ...

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, a position that he held until 2002. Between 2002 and 2007, he simultaneously served as the director of both the Communications for the

United Nations Environment Programme The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...

and the UN Information Centre in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. He later directed the Outreach Division of the United Nations Department of Public Information in New York, before moving to

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

(UNESCO) headquarters in Paris in 2010, as the assistant director-general for external relations and public information. Between 2018 and 2022, he was based in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, and serves as director and UNESCO representative for the UNESCO New Delhi Cluster Office, which covers

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

, India,

the Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, about from the Asian c ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

. Since October 2022, he has been the director of the UNESCO Office for the Maghreb and UNESCO Representative in Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. He is based in Rabat.

Personal life

Falt is married and has five sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falt, Eric French officials of the United Nations UNESCO officials Living people 1962 births