Uganda’s ambassador to Switzerland and Permanent Representative to UN, dies
Uganda’s Head of Mission to Geneva, Switzerland Ambassador and permanent representative to the United Nations, Christopher Onyanga Aparr has passed on.
Aparr passed on Wednesday morning in Geneva, where he has been ever since deployment in 2013 by President Museveni.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Uganda confirmed Aparr’s death as ‘unfortunate.
“It is very unfortunate; more details will be communicated in due course. May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace,” a communication from the ministry read.
Kampala Central Member of Parliament Muhammad Nsereko condoled with the family of Aparr, saying he recalls sharing jovial moments with the deceased.
“Dear comrades, It’s very unfortunate that Uganda has registered yet another loss of life. His Excellence Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr, Uganda’s Ambassador to Switzerland. I happened to have shared some jovial moments with him a few months ago while we officiated an event organized by the Association of Ugandans living in Switzerland. My sincere condolences to his family and the Ugandan community in Switzerland for the great loss.”
Who is Aparr
Currently, Amb. Christopher Onyanga Aparr is the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Uganda to the United Nations and other International Organizations; to the World Trade Organization, in Geneva and Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation Council in Bern.
Since taking up this position in 2013, Ambassador Onyanga Aparr assumed the role of Coordinator of LDC countries from January 2014 to March 2015. He championed the cause of the LDC Group in trade negotiations on Trade Facilitation, Agriculture, NAMA, Trade in Services, and issues of national Development in general in preparation for the Bali Ministerial Conference (MC9) in Indonesia.
In preparation for the WTO Ministerial Conference (MC10) in Nairobi, Mr. Onyanga Aparr is now involved in Negotiations on Agriculture (with its three pillars), TRIPS extension, Rules of Origin criteria, Duty-free Quota free and Operationalisation of Services Waiver. He organised a High-Level Conference on Services Waiver in February 2015.
At the UN, he is involved in discussions and formulations of binding Principles and Regulations as applied by affiliated organizations like HRC, ITU, WHO, ILO, and UNCTAD.
Amb. Onyanga Aparr is currently Chair of Investment, Entrepreneurship, and Development (IED) Commission helping to devise and develop the main theme, and sub-themes for UNCTAD XIV Conference of 2016 which will most likely be held in Kenya.
Previously, from 1996 - 2001, Ambassador Christopher Onyanga Aparr was Ambassador to the Russian Federation and the fifteen (15) Commonwealth of the Independent States of the former Soviet Union thereafter, he was in 2003 appointed Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, and the Vatican concurrently, but resident in Berlin.
From the year 2010, Mr. Christopher Onyanga Aparr was High Commissioner/Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and other West African States of Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia, Ghana, and Cameroon, amongst others.
Before the above, Ambassador Onyanga Aparr held various positions in the Government of Uganda, namely; Senior Government Valuer in charge of Land and Real Estate appraisal in the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources of the Government; Chief Estates Officer in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in charge of management and protective maintenance of Government properties. He was also Board Director of Transocean (Uganda) Limited, in charge of transportation, freight, and clearing of goods and services.
Ambassador Onyanga Aparr also held the position of Principal National Housing Officer in the Parastatal Organization called National Housing and Construction Corporation, carrying out construction and management of housing estates to increase housing stock in the country. In this capacity, he handled several housing projects in the country, amongst others, to enable the citizens to own personal landed-properties.
