On the demise of the Hon. Domingo L. Siazon, Jr.

THE Department of Foreign Affairs announces with much sorrow the demise last May 3 of former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Domingo L. Siazon, Jr. The Department, its officers and staff are saddened by the passing of one of the country’s illustrious and well-loved public servants.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Siazon led a distinguished career in the Philippine Foreign Service from 1966 to 2010. He was Philippine Ambassador to Austria from 1975 to 1986, during which term he also served as Permanent Representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations (Vienna). He was the first elected Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) from 1985 to 1993. He will be remembered as responsible for the smooth transition of the organization into a specialized agency. He also initiated and vigorously pursued the reform of UNIDO to enable it to meet the challenges of industrialization faced by developing and newly independent countries in the post-Cold War years.