Marco A. Suazo Fernandez

Head of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York Office (UNITAR-NYO)

Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of UNITAR

AMBASSADOR MARCO A. SUAZO FERNANDEZ, Head of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research New York Office (UNITAR-NYO) and Senior Advisor to the Executive Director of UNITAR since October 2015. 

Mr. Suazo is a career diplomat and former Ambassador who served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Honduras to the United Nations in New York. 

During his tour of duty in the United Nations for 27 years, Mr. Suazo served as Chair of two of the Main Committees of the General Assembly. In 2002, he chaired the Second Committee on Economic and Financial issues during the 57th session of the General Assembly (throughout this session, the Office of Finance for Development was created in the United Nations Secretariat, following the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development); and in 2008, he chaired the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security during the 63rd session of the General Assembly. 

Mr. Suazo has served as representative of Honduras in the Security Council 1995-1996 as political coordinator and after as an Advisor in the Public Administration Division at the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA); ex officio member at the United Nations Foundation Executive Board; Deputy Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras; and Minister Counsellor in the Embassy of Honduras in Managua, Nicaragua. 

Mr. Suazo has published several articles on the United Nations matters and two books related to Honduras’ history and its participation in the Organization as a funder member. The first one is entitled “Our History- Honduras in the United Nations 1945-2005” and it was published on the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations (2005) and the second one, “We the People” in 2013. Mr. Suazo is working in his third publication. In 2015, he was awarded with the title of “Commedatore of the Republic of Italy” which is a high distinction given by the Italian President and offered by the President of the Chamber of the Parliament. 

Graduated with a degree in Social Science and Jurisprudence at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras (UNAH), Mr. Suazo completed his postgraduate studies at the University of Florence (Italy), “Cessare Alfieri Faculty, and earned a degree in International Relations and Law. He has completed other academic courses and seminars on public international law, international negotiations, economic integration, human rights, and peacekeeping.