Peter Woolcott is an Australian diplomat. He is the son of Richard Woolcott

Richard Woolcott

Richard Arthur Woolcott, AC is a retired Australian diplomat, author and commentator.Woolcott was educated at Geelong Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, and became a member of the Australian Diplomatic Service. He held positions as Australia's ambassador to Indonesia and The...

, one of Australia's most eminent diplomats, now retired. After practicing as a barrister in Sydney for a number of years, Peter Woolcott joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1981. He served in Australian diplomatic missions in Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

 (1981-83), Argentina

Argentina

Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

(1987-88), the Philippines as Deputy Head of Mission (1994-97), Consul-General in Honolulu and representative to United States Pacific Command

United States Pacific Command

The United States Pacific Command is a Unified Combatant Command of the United States armed forces responsible for the Pacific Ocean area. It is led by the Commander, Pacific Command , who is the supreme military authority for the various branches of the Armed Forces of the United States serving...

 (1998-2001), Deputy Head of Mission in Jakarta (2001-2002), Chief of Staff to the Minister for Foreign Affairs (2002-04), and Australian Ambassador to Italy (2004-07). He was replaced in Rome by Amanda Vanstone

Amanda Vanstone

Amanda Eloise Vanstone is a former Australian politician and a former Ambassador to Italy. She was a Liberal Senator for South Australia from 1984 to 2007, and held several ministerial portfolios in the Howard Government. After her resignation from the Senate in 2007, she served as the Australian...

, a political appointee.Wooloctt also sat on the Executive Board of the World Food Programme

World Food Programme

The World Food Programme is the food aid branch of the United Nations, and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide. WFP provides food, on average, to 90 million people per year, 58 million of whom are children...

 (2004-07). Between 2007 and 2009 he was first assistant secretary of the South East Asia division in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Wooloctt was recently appointed as the People Smuggling envoy. However as of 2010 he has become Australia's ambassador to the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

.

Woolcott was a Director for the Sea Law and Ocean Policy Group (1990-91), the Human Rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 Section (1992-94) and the India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and Indian Ocean

Indian Ocean

The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...

 Section. Woolcott has also worked as the international adviser to Bond Corporation (1989-90) and as the Executive Manager International Bid Relations, Sydney Olympic Bid 2000 Bid (1991-92).

Woolcott earned his Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Arts degrees from the Australian National University

Australian National University

The Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...

 and a Master of Arts degree from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University is the oldest school in the United States dedicated solely to graduate studies in international affairs. It is regarded as one of the world's foremost schools of international affairs. Every Fall, the school enrolls approximately 265...

.

Woolcott is married to Tanya Hollows (the daughter of Fred Hollows

Fred Hollows

Frederick "Fred" Cossom Hollows, AC was an ophthalmologist who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for countless thousands of people in Australia and many other countries...

) and has three children, Charles, Nicholas and Isabella.

External links

• http://www.dfat.gov.au/homs/aups.html DFAT page