Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo Takes Over as New Chairman of IAEA Board of Governors

The IAEA Board of Governors elected by acclamation the Governor of South Africa, Ambassador Tebogo Seokolo, as the Chairman of the IAEA’s Board of Governors for 2016-2017. His one-year term commences on 3rd October 2016. He replaces the Governor of Brazil, Ambassador Laércio Antonio Vinhas.
Ambassador Seokolo is South Africa's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna and is also his country's Ambassador to Austria, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Since joining the South African Foreign Service in 1995, his appointments have included serving at the South African Embassy in The Netherlands, and as Deputy and Acting Chief of State Protocol and Chief Director for Western Europe in the Department of International Relations and Cooperation in Pretoria. He also served as South Africa’s Ambassador to Turkey, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
In his current assignment, Ambassador Seokolo has served as the co-Chair of the Friends of ReNuAL — the IAEA project to renovate its Nuclear Applications Laboratories in Seibersdorf, Austria; Chairperson of the African Group (July to December 2015); President of the Board of UNIDO (November 2014 to June 2015); Vice Chairperson of the PrepCom of the CTBTO; Vice-Chairperson of the United Nations Crime Congress (2015) and 2nd Vice Chair of the 25th Session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
Ambassador Seokolo has a Master's degree in Diplomatic Studies from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor’s degree in History and English Literature from the Vista University.
During the one-day session, the Board of Governors also elected the two Vice-Chairs, Governor of Latvia, Bahtijors Hasans and Governor of Spain, Gonzalo de Salazar Serantes. (IAEA)