The author's biography

 Patrice-Ariel Français - or more simply Ariel Français - was born in Boulogne Billancourt, France. The son of a diplomat, he travelled the world from a very young age, living successively in Germany, Brazil, Spain and Kenya, slices of life interspersed with returns to France. 

At the age of 15 he returned to France, to Paris, to continue his studies: first at the Lycée Condorcet, then at the Faculty of Law and Economics, as well as at the Institute of Political Studies ( IEP - Sciences Po Paris). He graduated from the IEP in 1968 and was eligible for the ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administration)i n 1969. A laureat of the Faculty of Law in 1967, he graduated in law in 1968, graduated in public law in 1969, then obtained a doctorate in law in 1980.

In 1970, Ariel Français did his military service in the Armed Forces Information and Public Relations Service (SIRPA). At the same time, he joined a platoon of non-commissioned officers and was promoted to sergeant after eight months of service.

In 1971, Ariel Français entered working life, first as a senior trainee at Société Générale, then as a mission manager at the Commissariat Général du Plan (General Planning Commission), a position he held until 1976. During his five years at the Plan, he contributed to the monitoring of the Sixth Plan and the preparation of the Seventh Plan. In particular, he was responsible for the social and territorial aspects of industrial development. He was  also responsible for the general secretariat of the committees in charge of traditional industries.

Previously, and in the wake of May 68, he was an activist in the Socialist Party. After joining the Union of Clubs for the Renewal of the Left (UCRG), he joined the Socialist Party (PS)  and became involved in political life, both locally and nationally. Motivated and committed to foreign and defence policy, he was appointed secretary general of the PS Defence Committee, whose work he led the work of.

Attracted by the open sea, Ariel Français sought a cooperation mission abroad in 1976 and left for Brasilia as a technical advisor to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to support the National Commission for Urban Policy (CNPU), a body attached to the Presidency of the Republic and responsible for Brazilian regional planning. He also supported the Superintendence for the Development of the North-East (SUDENE) in the field of industrial development, to which he visited periodically throughout his stay in Brazil.

In 1979, Ariel Français returned to France to retrain and prepare for his entry into the international civil service. He collaborated for a time with the Centre for Prospective Studies and International Information (CEPII), as a visiting researcher, while applying for various international positions. There he carried out work on the newly industrialised countries and conducted research on the Brazilian model. In 1980, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) offered him a position in the field, which he accepted, thus beginning a twenty-five-year career in the service of the United Nations. 

From 1980 to 1984, Ariel Français served in Mozambique (Maputo) as Assistant Resident Representative, administering a vast cooperation program focused on the construction and development of the young independent State, while facing the first major humanitarian emergencies on the continent induced by drought and civil war. At the beginning of 1984, he was promoted to Deputy Resident Representative in Guinea-Bissau (Bissau) where he was confronted with the innumerable problems bequeathed by chaotic independence, the low level of education of the population and the lack of economic resources. At the end of 1985, he was reassigned to Senegal (Dakar) as Deputy resident representative, a country where he worked, among other things, on major regional development projects (Senegal River Valley in particular) and on social support for structural adjustment policies.

 In 1989, Ariel Français was promoted to UNDP Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon (Libreville), a position he left in 1991 after focusing on the problem of a country rich in natural resources but handicapped by a low level of education and an unequal distribution of income.

In 1991, Ariel Français was reassigned to the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, as Deputy Director of the UNDP European Office. In this capacity, he represents UNDP in a number of intergovernmental and international meetings. In particular, he headed the UNDP delegation to the International Conference on Human Rights (Vienna, 1993). It also liaises with the Department of Humanitarian Affairs and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, he oversees the UNDP's communication strategy in Europe.

In 1994, Ariel Français was appointed UNDP Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cuba (Havana), a position he held for five years. Among other things, he launched a major programme of exchanges and cooperation in key areas for the country's economic recovery. To meet the most pressing human needs, he contributed to the establishment of a broad framework to support local initiatives that had the support of many donors.

Finally, in 1999, Ariel Français was reassigned to Tunisia (Tunis), still as UNDP Resident Representative and United Nations Resident Coordinator, a position he also held for nearly five years.  He contributed, among other things, to the renewal of strategic thinking, by supporting a long-term foresight exercise called "Tunisia 2030". He also launched a programme to support local initiatives, similar to the one implemented in Cuba.

In 2004, Ariel Français asked to be placed on special leave and took early retirement in 2005. He thus began a new stage in his active life, now devoted to the analysis of major global issues and to reflection on the future.

Ariel Français is married and has three children.