UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed John Holmes of Britain and Alicia Barcena of Mexico to head the world body's departments in charge of humanitarian and management affairs separately, UN spokesperson Michele Montas said on Wednesday.

    Holmes, Britain's ambassador to France, was named undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, replacing Norway's Jan Egeland, who stepped down last month after more than three years as the most senior humanitarian official at the organization.

    Montas said that Holmes, 55, has "offered a proven record of strategic vision, crisis management, multilateral negotiation, dedication and hard work" throughout his diplomatic career.

    "The secretary-general is confident that the international community will benefit from his leadership and expertise," Montas said.

    Barcena, who was acting chief of staff to former Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is to replace American Christopher Burnham, who resigned in November, as undersecretary-general for administration and management.

    The secretary-general highly values Barcena, a former Mexican vice minister of environment, for her leadership and managerial skills, and has confidence that she shares his vision and philosophy to strengthen and revitalize this organization, Montas said.