Appointment of Ambassador Erica Barks-Ruggles as Head of the U.S. Mission to UNESCO

On July 14, 2023, Ambassador Erica Barks-Ruggles, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, was appointed to represent the United States at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as Head of the U.S. Mission.  Ambassador Barks-Ruggles most recently served as the Senior Representative and Head of Delegation to four major International Telecommunication Union conferences in 2022, culminating in the election of an American as the first female Secretary General in the organization’s 157-year history. Prior to that, Ambassador Barks-Ruggles served as Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, U.S. Consul General in Cape Town, Deputy to the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

In Paris, Ambassador Barks-Ruggles will engage with UNESCO and UNESCO member states to restore the U.S. presence and leadership on a host of issues of importance and value to the American people.

For further information, please email IO-Press-DL@state.gov.