The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) announced on Wednesday the appointment of Lassaad Ben Hassine as the new UNIDO Representative in Tunisia. His appointment has been effective since June 8, 2023. Ben Hassine brings over 30 years of extensive professional experience in the field of trade-related technical assistance programmes and projects. His expertise lies in needs assessment, formulation, management, and coordination of development programmes and projects, said the UNIDO in a statement on Wednesday. «He worked at the Ministry of International Cooperation and External Investment in Tunisia from 1992 to 2000, where he played an active role in preparing the country's multilateral trade negotiations with the World Trade Organisation (WTO), as well as in the development of the economic cooperation strategy with the European Union.» He also worked in Canada from 2001 to 2008, where he gained in-depth expertise in practical aspects of international trade. He managed projects funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Tunisia and Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2008, Ben Hassine joined the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC), a member of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Group. Since 2019, he has been leading the second phase of the Aid for Trade Initiative for Arab States (AfTIAS 2.0 Programme), officially launched in October 2021. As of March 30, 2023, 21 projects have been approved under this phase. He has also served as the director of the first phase of the AfTIAS programme (2014-2020), which concluded with a successful record of 28 projects benefiting 19 Arab countries, in collaboration with five United Nations agencies. On the academic front, Ben Hassine obtained his Master's degree in "Economics and International Relations" in Tunisia in 1991, as well as his Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in Political Science, specialising in International Trade Relations, in 1995. As the UNIDO Representative in Tunisia, Ben Hassine will work towards strengthening cooperation between UNIDO and Tunisia by supporting projects and initiatives related to sustainable industrial development in the country.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse