Secretary-General Appoints Joanne Adamson of United Kingdom Deputy Special Representative for Mali

The Secretary-General of the United Nations today announced the appointment of Joanne Adamson of the United Kingdom as his new Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Ms. Adamson succeeds Koen Davidse of the Netherlands, who completed his assignment on 30 September.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Davidse for his important contribution to the work of MINUSMA.

With 30 years as a leader and policy specialist in peace and security, Ms. Adamson has extensive experience in diplomacy, political affairs and analysis, multilateral negotiations and conflict resolution with the European Union, the United Nations and the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom.  Since 2016, she has served as Deputy Head of the European Union delegation to the United Nations, where she focused on reform of the Organization and strengthening collaborative relationships, particularly among the United Nations, the African Union and the European Union.

From 2014 to 2016, Ms. Adamson was her country’s Ambassador to Mali and Niger, where she played an active role in advancing Mali’s peace process and helped to develop a cross-Sahel stabilization programme.  She has also served with United Nations peacekeeping, including at New York Headquarters, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

Born in 1967, Ms. Adamson holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge.  She is fluent in Arabic and French.