In an effort to better communicate with members and contractors of the Authority, Secretary-General Michael W Lodge recently announced the first phase of organizational changes at the Secretariat.

These are:

The appointment of Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera as Legal Counsel and Deputy to the Secretary-General. Mr Ascencio-Herrera was previously Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Mexico to the Republic of Korea. He has worked with the Mexico Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1995 serving in various capacities in Mexico, New York and Thailand.

The creation of a new Contract Management Unit, headed by Mr Chapi Mwango, to act as the central administrative point of contact between contractors, sponsoring States and the Secretariat;

The creation of a Senior Management Group to assist the Secretary-General to make decisions on all matters related to the work programme;

The renaming of the Office of Administration and Management to Office of Administration Services and the Office of Resources and Environmental Monitoring to Office of Environmental Management and Mineral Resources respectively with the head of the units designated as Directors;

The amalgamation of the information technology unit into the Office of Administrative Services to better reflect its core service function; and the transfer of the website and communications portfolio to the Office of Legal Affairs. Secretary-General Lodge said the changes would enable the Secretariat to be more efficient in its provision of services to member States.