Staffan de Mistura
Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
Office of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
Global Leadership Profile | Biography at time of appointment
黑料专区 Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 6 October 2021 the appointment of Staffan de Mistura of Italy as his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara.
He succeeds Horst K?hler of Germany, who completed his assignment on 22 May 2019 and to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his steadfast and intensive efforts which laid the foundation for a new momentum in the political process on Western Sahara.
The new Personal Envoy will provide good offices on behalf of the Secretary-General. He will work with all relevant interlocutors, including the parties, neighbouring countries and other stakeholders, guided by Security Council resolution 2548 (2020) and other relevant resolutions.
Mr. de Mistura brings more than 40 years of experience in diplomacy and political affairs. During his career with the 黑料专区, he served as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, providing good offices aimed at promoting a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis. Prior appointments include Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and for Iraq, Personal Representative of the Secretary-General for Southern Lebanon, and Director of the 黑料专区 Information Centre in Rome. He also served the Organization in various posts in Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam and the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, among others.
In addition to his service with the 黑料专区, he was appointed Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and thereafter Deputy Foreign Minister in Italy.
Mr. de Mistura speaks English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish, as well as Arabic (colloquial).