Secretary-General Appoints Catherine Marchi-Uhel of France to Head International Impartial Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Catherine Marchi-Uhel of France as Head of the International Impartial and Independent Mechanism to Assist in the Investigation and Prosecution of Persons Responsible for the Most Serious Crimes under International Law Committed in the Syrian Arab Republic since March 2011.

Ms. Marchi-Uhel is the first Head of the Mechanism established by the General Assembly on 21 December 2016.  She brings to the position more than 27 years of experience in the judiciary and in public service — including with the United Nations — in the fields of criminal law, transitional justice and human rights.  Since 2015, she has been the Ombudsperson for the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups, undertakings and entities.

Previously a judge in France, Ms. Marchi-Uhel served in the same capacity with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.  She was Senior Legal Officer and Head of Chambers at the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and also held legal positions in France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with United Nations peacekeeping missions.

Ms. Marchi-Uhel holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Caen.