Secretary-General Appoints Yacoub el Hillo of Sudan Deputy Special Representative for Libya

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Yacoub el Hillo of Sudan as his Deputy Special Representative in Libya, where he will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

He succeeds Maria do Valle Ribeiro of Ireland, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her outstanding contribution and dedicated service in supporting the implementation of the mandate of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and coordinating the activities of the United Nations system in Libya.

Mr. El Hillo brings to the position a wealth of experience in the field and at Headquarters.  Since 2016, he has been Resident Coordinator in Liberia, where he also served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) until 2018.

From 2013 to 2016, Mr. El Hillo was United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Syria.  He served as Director for the Middle East and North Africa in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva (2010-2013); UNHCR Regional Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2009‑2010); UNHCR Representative in the United Republic of Tanzania (2006‑2009); Deputy Reconstruction and Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (2005‑2006); UNHCR Chief of Mission in Iraq (2003-2005); and Chef de Cabinet at UNHCR headquarters (2001-2002).

Mr. El Hillo holds a Bachelor of Laws degree, graduating from the University of Khartoum in 1986.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1669-BIO/4852-PKO/590 of 27 June 2016.