Secretary-General Designates Stephanie Turco Williams of United States Acting Special Representative, Head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the designation of Stephanie Turco Williams of the United States as his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Ms. Williams will act as Special Representative until the appointment of a successor to Ghassan Salamé of Lebanon, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his accomplishments at the helm of UNSMIL and his tireless efforts to restore peace and stability in Libya.

With more than 24 years of experience in government and international affairs, Ms. Williams has served in UNSMIL as Deputy Special Representative (Political) since 2018.  Before that appointment, she served as Chargée d’Affaires, a.i. at the Embassy of the United States in Tripoli (Libya External Office).  She has also held various other diplomatic positions, including Deputy Chief of Mission at the United States missions in Iraq (2016-2017), Jordan (2013-2015) and Bahrain (2010-2013), where she led the Embassy as Chargée d’Affaires for 10 months.

Ms. Williams also served as a senior adviser on Syria and at her country’s embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Pakistan.  At the United States Department of State, she was the Desk Officer for Jordan, Deputy Director of Egypt and Levant Affairs, and Director of the Maghreb Office.  She previously worked in Bahrain’s private sector.

The holder of a master’s degree in Arab studies from Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, Ms. Williams is also a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College, where she earned a master’s in national security studies in 2008.  She is a career Middle East specialist and Arabic speaker.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1814 of 2 July 2018.