Sha Zukang (; born 1947) is a Chinese

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

who was head of the

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Eco ...

from 2007 to 2012. He was previously the Chinese ambassador 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 UNO ...

Education and diplomatic career

A graduate of

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU; ) is a national public research university in Nanjing, Jiangsu. It is a member of C9 League and a Class A Double First Class University designated by the Chinese central government. NJU has two main campuses: the Xianli ...

, Sha started his diplomatic career as a staff member at the Chinese Embassy in the United Kingdom and served in a variety of positions in the Chinese Diplomatic Service. He established the Department of Arms Control in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and served as its first Director-General from 1997 to 2001. Earlier, he served as Ambassador for Disarmament Affairs and Deputy Permanent Representative of the People's Republic of China to the United Nations Office at Geneva and other international organizations in Switzerland (1995–1997).

Notable positions

He has served as the Chairperson of the Government Group of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization, President of the Trade and Development Board of the United Nations, Chairman of the Preparatory Committee and the Committee of the Whole of the

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

and Coordinator of the Like-Minded-Group of the

Human Rights Council The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), CDH is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The Council has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. ...

. His latest assignment was as Secretary-General to the Rio

Earth Summit The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Conference or the Earth Summit (Portuguese: ECO92), was a major United Nations conference held in Rio de Janeiro from June 3 to June 14, 1992. Earth ...

, a global conference on sustainable development held in 2012 in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

Controversies

He is noted for being outspoken. In a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

interview on August 17, 2006, he told the US to "shut up" regarding criticism on arms spending of China, noting that U.S. arms expenditure was half of the world's total. In 2007, ''

Foreign Policy A state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterally or through ...

'' magazine published a satirical commentary purporting to be by Sha, the "UN Secretary for Kicking Butt," and in 2010 called Sha "China's

John Bolton John Robert Bolton (born November 20, 1948) is an American attorney, diplomat, Republican consultant, and political commentator. He served as the 25th United States Ambassador to the United Nations from 2005 to 2006, and as the 26th United Sta ...

" (the famously blunt U.S. ambassador to the UN under 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 ...

). At an Austrian meeting of UN officials in September 2010, he said to UN Secretary General

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

, "I know you never liked me, Mr. Secretary-General. Well, I never liked you, either" and about Robert Orr, an American UN official, that "I really don't like him." He added that he had come to respect the UN chief and praised Mr. Orr for a speech he had given.
''Foreign Policy''

References

External links

Biography of Sha Zukang (UN DESA)

BBC interview with Sha Zukang
August 17, 2006.

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

article about aftermath of outburst, September 12, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Sha, Zukang 1947 births Living people Nanjing University alumni Diplomats of the People's Republic of China Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations People from Yixing Chinese officials of the United Nations