Jan Kickert


Jan Kickert is the Austrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations. He was born in Thailand, studied at the University of Vienna and the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and served in a variety of diplomatic and international positions in his early career.

Early life

He was born in Bangkok, Thailand. Kickert studied at the University of Vienna in Austria. He then studied at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna.

Diplomatic career

Kickert served in a variety of diplomatic and international positions in his early career. From 1996-97 Kickert worked at the Austrian Embassy in Bratislava as an Attaché, from 1997–99 at the Austrian Embassy in Belgrade as 2nd Secretary, from 1998-99 he Seconded as Special Assistant to the EU Special Envoy to Kosovo, and from 1999-2000 he Seconded as Political Advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. From 2001-04 he worked at the Austrian Embassy Ottawa as Minister-Counselor and DHM, from 2005-07 he worked in the Cabinet of the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs, and from 2007-09 he was Deputy Head of Cabinet of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. From 2009-11 he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria to the Republic of Croatia, and from 2011–15 he was Director General for Political Affairs/Austrian MfA.

Austrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations

As of 31 August 2015, Kickert has been the Austrian Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
In October 2017 Kickert denounced as “wrong and unjustifiable” a possible move by the U.S. administration to “decertify” Iran's compliance with the Iran deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
In 2017-19 Kickert was Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Information, a subsidiary body of the United Nations General Assembly established to deal with questions relating to
public information. The Committee oversees the work of the United Nations Department of Global Communications.
In October 2018, after the synagogue shooting at the Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh, Kickert addressed the Temple Israel congregation in New York City and said: "The attack on the Tree of Life Congregation was an attack on all of us, on what we stand for – religious liberty, human rights. We are committed to the safety and security of Jews wherever they are. I say this with growing up and living with the shame that my forefathers were among the worst perpetrators in Nazi times."
On 30 October 2018, the President of the UN General Assembly María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés informed UN Member States that Kickert and Doma Tsherin, Permanent Representative of Bhutan, would co-facilitate the intergovernmental negotiations related to the midterm review of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action implementation, with a view to producing a political declaration.