Roland Kpotsra

Yao Roland Kpotsra (born February 20 1947) is a Togolese diplomat and politician. He was Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1996 to 2002 and has held that post again since 2007; he was also Foreign Minister from 2002 to 2003. [http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/bio3940.doc.htm "NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TOGO PRESENTS CREDENTIALS"] , United Nations Press ReleaseBIO/3940, October 1, 2007.]

Kpotsra was born in Lomé. He began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974 at its Administrative Affairs Division. From September 1976 to February 1979, he was Secretary at Togo's Permanent Mission to the United Nations; he was then Counsellor at the Permanent Mission from February 1979 to April 1980 and "Charge d'affaires" at the Permanent Mission from April 1980 to August 1980. He was then First Counsellor at the Togolese Embassy to Brazil from September 1980 to May 1982. [http://www.un.org/news/Press/docs/1996/19961211.bio3050.html "NEW PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TOGO PRESENTS CREDENTIALS"] , United Nations Press ReleaseBIO/3050, December 11, 1996.]

At the Foreign Ministry, Kpotsra was Director of the Treaties and Legal Affairs Division from July 23 1982 to January 5 1988 as well as Director of Administration and Personnel from October 9 1987 to August 1990. From 8 September 1990 to 30 June 1991, he was "Charge d'affaires" in Zimbabwe; he was then "Chargé de mission" of the Foreign Ministry from September 1992 to March 23 1993. From March 1993 to 1996, he was Secretary-General of the Foreign Ministry. During this time, he headed the Togolese delegation to the Twelfth Ministerial Conference of the Non-Aligned Movement on April 25–27, 1995 in Bandung, Indonesia, as well as the Togolese delegation to the sixty-third regular session of the Organization of African Unity's Council of Ministers, held on February 26–28, 1996 in Addis Ababa.

Kpotsra was appointed as Permanent Representative to the UN for the first time in 1996, presenting his credentials on December 11 1996; he remained Permanent Representative until December 2002. Kpotsra was named Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation on December 3 2002, [ [http://www.icilome.com/nouvelles/news.asp?id=35&idnews=1340&f= "Les hommes de confiance d’Eyadéma au placard !"] , "Le Togolais", N°21, December 2–8, 2002 (iciLome, January 29, 2003) fr icon.] [http://web.archive.org/web/20051028234823/http://www.presse-francophone.org/francophonie/francophonie_gouvernements_togo.htm List of Togolese government ministers] (2005 archive page), presse-francophone.org fr icon.] ["Dec 2002 - TOGO", Keesing's Record of World Events, Volume 48, December, 2002 Togo, Page 45131.] serving in that position until he was appointed as Minister of the Promotion of Democracy and the Rule of Law in the government named on July 29 2003. [ [http://french.peopledaily.com.cn/french/200307/31/fra20030731_62211.html "Le Togo annonce la composition du nouveau gouvernement"] , Xinhua ("People's Daily"), July 31, 2003 fr icon.] He remained in the latter position until he was left out of the government named on June 20 2005. Subsequently he was a Diplomatic Advisor to President Faure Gnassingbé from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, he was appointed as Togo's Permanent Representative to the UN again; he presented his credentials on October 1 2007.

Kpotsra was awarded the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit in April 1984 and was made an Officer of the Order of Mono in March 1996.

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