New York  - France's envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, was Monday appointed the United Nations special envoy to assist Pakistan's humanitarian programmes for people displaced by the fighting.

"The position has been established by the Secretary General (Ban Ki-moon) to assist the government of Pakistan and the international community in responding to the present humanitarian, recovery and reconstruction needs relating to the country's displacement crisis," said UN spokeswoman Michelle Montas.

Ripert "brings to this challenging assignment a wealth of experience in the international fora and a solid track record in consensus building," Montas said.

Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have been displaced by the fighting between government forces and terrorist groups in Pakistan.

The appointment was made by Ban but no date has been decided on when Ripert will begin his new job, Montas said.

Ripert, 56, has been France's representative at the UN since 2005 and served as the envoy to Greece from 2000 to 2003. He headed the department on international organizations at the French foreign ministry in Paris from 2003 to 2005. (dpa)