The head of the Augustinians has appointed Fr. Alladin Luzon as the Order’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

Luzon’s appointment by Fr. Alejandro Moral Anton, Prior General of the Order of Saint Augustine, made him the first Asian Augustinian to hold the office.

The missionary officially assumed his new role on Sept. 1 by reporting first to the OSA’s General Curia in Rome.

He will also assist the works of the Order’s Commission on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC) and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development in the Roman Curia.

Prior to his new assignment, Luzon was assigned in the Provincialate Community and the Basilica Minore del Santo Niño de Cebu since 2008.

He also served as chairman of the Commission on JPIC of the Province of Santo Niño de Cebu for a number of years.

The Order of Saint Augustine started its presence in the UN in 2002.

It was in 1997 when the Order registered to participate in the UN as a non-governmental organization in affiliation with the Department of Public Information.

Fr. Jesus Guzman from the Province of Michoacan in Mexico was the first full time friar to work at the UN from 2002 to 2007.

For the past few years, the Augustinians International, name of the NGO in the UN, has been involved in advocacies to address human trafficking and poverty.

It also worked on promoting respect for every human being’s life and dignity, under the Culture of Peace Movement sponsored by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization (UNESCO).