Mr. Jacques Paul Klein, of the United States of America, was named by the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, as Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Bosnia and Herzegovina with the rank of Under-Secretary-General in August 1999.

In July 1997, the Government of the United States nominated Mr. Jacques Paul Klein as Principal Deputy High Representative with the Office of the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Mr. Klein is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service of the Department of State. He received his undergraduate degree in History, holds an advanced degree in History and has done post-graduate work in International Politics.

After entering the Foreign Service in 1971, Mr. Klein served his initial tour of duty in the Operations Center of the Executive Secretariat, Office of the Secretary of State. He was subsequently posted abroad to serve as Consular Officer at the American Consulate General in Bremen. In 1973, he was reassigned to the Department of State as a Political Officer in the Office of Southern European Affairs. He returned overseas in 1975, upon assumption of diplomatic relations with the German Democratic Republic, to serve as Counselor Officer in the newly opened American Embassy in Berlin. In 1977, he was reassigned and served a follow on tour as a Political Officer at the American Embassy in Bonn.

Mr. Klein was selected to attend the National War College in 1979. After graduation, he was assigned as a Management Analysis Officer on the Policy Planning Staff in the Office of the Director General of the Foreign Service. He was seconded to the Department of Defense in 1982, to serve as Senior Advisor for International Affairs to the Secretary of the Air Force, with the rank of Deputy Assistant Secretary. He then returned to the Department of State to become Director of the Office of Strategic Technology Matters in the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs. In 1989, he was again recalled to the Department of Defense to serve as Assistant Deputy Under-Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs.

In 1990, Mr. Klein returned to the Department of State to serve as Principal Advisor to the Director General of the Foreign Service, and Director of Personnel for Career Development, Training and Detail Assignments. He returned abroad in 1993 to serve as Political Advisor to the Commander in Chief of the United States European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. In 1996, United Nations Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali selected him to serve as Transitional Administrator for Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium with the rank of Under-Secretary-General.

Mr. Klein has been awarded the Department of State's Distinguished Honor Award as well as three Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards. He is also the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Public Service as well as the Department of the Air Forceas Awards for Exceptional and Meritorious Civilian Service. He is a retired Major General of the United States Air Force and during his period of service was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, a Bronze Star, and the Air Medal. He has also been honored by the award of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Aeronautical Order of Merit, in the grade of Commander, by the government of Brazil.