UNITED NATIONS, March 14 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed Susana Malcorra of Argentina as head of the Department of Field Support (DFS) at the under-secretary-general level to direct all support for the UN's peace missions worldwide.

　　Malcorra, currently serving as chief operating officer and deputy executive director of the UN World Food Program, will take over from Jane Holl Lute of the United States who has been leading the department since its establishment in last July, Ban's press office said.

　　"She will be leading staff at the UN Headquarters in support of32 field operations currently comprising over 100,000 military, police and civilian personnel worldwide," said a UN statement.

　　Shortly after taking office in early 2007, the UN chief proposed a reform of the UN's peacekeeping functions aimed at strengthening its capacity to mount and sustain peacekeeping operations in an era when the demand for blue helmets has reached an all-time high.

　　Last June, the UN General Assembly endorsed Ban's proposals to split the world body's peacekeeping functions into two departments-- the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) which will continue to direct field operations and the DFS providing relevant services including logistics and general management issues.