It is with great sadness that the United Nations University (UNU) has learned of the passing of Dr. Jacques Fomerand, former Head of the UNU Office in North America from 1992–2003. Dr. Fomerand passed away on 4 November 2024 at the age of 81.
A visitation will be held on 9 November 2024 in Tenafly, New Jersey, USA. For more information, and to offer condolences, visit: https://go.unu.edu/DDWEp
During his UNU tenure, Dr. Fomerand guided UNU’s vital connections with the United Nations Secretariat in New York and helped create new UNU partnerships throughout North America. His work with UNU also contributed to the 1996 establishment of the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) in Canada.
Dr. Fomerand joined the United Nations in 1977. Prior to his role with UNU, he served at the UN Secretariat as Chief of the Inter-Organizational Co-operation Section of the Department for International Economic and Social Affairs.
During his career, Dr. Fomerand taught at leading academic institutions including New York University, Seton Hall, and Columbia, and he received numerous awards for teaching excellence. Most recently, Dr. Fomerand was Assistant Director of the “Oxy at the UN Program” and Visiting Assistant Professor for Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College. He was also an Adjunct Visiting Professor at the City College of New York.
A native of France, Dr. Fomerand completed a degree in political science at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Aix en Provence. He then earned a PhD in political science, with a specialization in comparative government and international organization, from the City University of New York.
Among his many contributions to the United Nations system, its partners and academia, Dr. Fomerand authored the "Historical Dictionary of the United Nations", a comprehensive resource on the UN's organizations, subsidiary bodies, specialized agencies and nongovernmental actors as well as noteworthy figures in its history.
