Fødselaren er en af de meget få diplomater – og i hvert fald eneste danske – der har siddet som kabinetschef for to formænd for FNs generalforsamling i træk. Nemlig først Mogens Lykketoft (2015-16) og nu fijianeren Peter Thomson (2016-17). Mere om Thomson her
Tomas Anker Christensen har været diplomat, siden han blev færdig som cand.scient.pol. fra Aarhus Universitet i 1992.
Vejen er gået over poster som ambassadesekretær i Algeriet og Egypten, økonomisk rådgiverr i Danmarks FN-mission i New York, chef for Mellemøstkontoret hjemme på Asiatisk Plads, hvor han oplevede krisen om Muhammed-tegningerne og så ambassadør i Iran frem til 2010.
Ifølge Berlingske har han og hustruen, Charlotte Vangsgaard, i karrierens forløb fået job i samme byer. I dag er hun partner i det danske konsulenthus ReD Associates, og leder New York-filialen, mens han som tidligere nævnt er højre hånd for FN-formanden.
Efter tre år i FN-generalsekretær Ban Ki-moons klimasekretariat håndplukkede Mogens Lykketoft ham nemlig som sin kabinetschef, da han skulle være formand for FNs generalforsamling fra september 2015 til september 2016.
Lykketoft var tydeligt imponeret af dagens fødselar, og i erindringsbogen "I Verdens Tjeneste – 15 måneder for FN" fremhæver den aldrende socialdemokrat hans "enestående indsigt i FN-systemet".
Samme høje tanker om danskeren må Lykketofts efterfølger have. Peter Thomsen udnævnte ham i hvert fald til sin kabinetschef, mens han sidder på den fornemme formandspost – fra september 2016 til september 2017.
Hvad skal der så ske derefter?
Tomas Anker Christensen siger til Berlingskes Erik Randel:
"Ministeriet vil gerne have mig hjem, og det vil jeg også. Nu må vi se, hvad det bliver til."
Privat har han og Charlotte Vangsgaard døtrene Ida, der studerer i London, og Selma, som går på FN-gymnasiet i New York.
Her FNs officielle omtale af ham:
Tomas Anker Christensen is Chef de Cabinet of the Office of the President of the 71th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Tomas served in the same position in the Cabinet of the President of the 70th Session. Previously Tomas was the Senior Adviser for Partnerships in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
In that role he assisted and advised the Secretary-General in designing a new United Nations Partnership Facility and promoted partnerships as a means of implementing United Nations goals and mandates with a particular focus on climate action and finance.
In 2014 he played a key role in planning, organizing and executing the UN Secretary General’s Climate Summit.
Tomas has more than 20 years of diplomatic experience. From 2010 to 2012 he was the Under Secretary for Global Challenges at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark and responsible for the Ministry’s role in the Rio+20 conference (2012) on Sustainable Development.
In this role he also built a successful multi-stakeholder partnership, the Global Green Growth Forum focused on catalyzing through partnerships to speed and scale the transition to a global green economy.
Prior to that, Tomas served as the Ambassador of Denmark to Iran and before that as Director for the Middle East and North Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Earlier in his career, Tomas served at the Mission of Denmark to the United Nations in New York where he chaired the EU in the Second Committee and ECOSOC, and represented Denmark in the FFD 2001 bureau. He was also part of the team preparing Danish membership of the Security Council 2005-2006.
Tomas has also served at the Danish Embassies in Algiers, Cairo, Luxembourg and New Delhi. He speaks English, French, German and Danish.
