Secretary-General Appoints Ján Kubiš of Slovakia Special Envoy, Head of United Nations Support Mission in Libya

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Ján Kubiš of Slovakia as his Special Envoy on Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).  This position is established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2542 (2020).

The Secretary-General is grateful for the commitment and outstanding leadership of Acting Special Representative Stephanie T. Williams of the United States in moving the political process forward in Libya.

Mr. Kubiš, who has served as Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), since 2019, brings many years of experience in diplomacy, foreign security policy and international economic relations, both internationally and in his own country.

He previously served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), from 2015 to 2018, and as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) from 2011 to 2015.  He was the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) from 2009 to 2011, Minister for Foreign Affairs in Slovakia from 2006 to 2009, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe from 2007 to 2008 and Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) from 1999 to 2005.

Among other roles, Mr. Kubiš also served as the European Union’s Special Representative for Central Asia and Personal Representative of the Chairman-in-Office of OSCE for Central Asia.  He was the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Tajikistan and Head of the United Nations Mission of Observers in Tajikistan from 1998 to 1999.  Prior to that, he was Director of OSCE’s Conflict Prevention Centre. 

Mr. Kubiš entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the former Czechoslovakia in 1976 and thereafter worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovakia.  He also served as Permanent Representative of Slovakia to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva, beginning in 1993.

He holds a degree in international economic relations from the Moscow State Institute of International Affairs.

__________

*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1848-BIO/5169 of 9 January 2019.