UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has named former WTO chief Peter Sutherland as his Special Representative for Migration, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced Monday.

Dujarric told reporters at the daily briefing that Sutherland, in his new role, will help the secretary-general prepare for the General Assembly's high-level dialogue on international migration and development to be held in mid-September, 2006.

According to the spokesman, the 59-year-old Irish national will prepare an overview of migration and development issues requested by the General Assembly that will cover a range of issues, including migration's impact on development and the movements by highly skilled and educated migrant workers.

The secretary-general observed he will rely on Sutherland to draw global attention to the overview during the run-up to the high-level dialogue, Dujarric said.

Sutherland served as Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), formerly known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, between 1993 and 1995.

Source: Xinhua