Secretary-General Appoints Hervé Lecoq of France Deputy Head of Mission for United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Hervé Lecoq of France as Deputy Head of Mission and Director of Political and Civil Affairs at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Mr. Lecoq succeeds Jack Christofides of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his contribution to the efforts of the United Nations to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon.

Mr. Lecoq brings over 30 years of experience in peace operations, political affairs and development.  Most recently, Mr. Lecoq has served as Deputy Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations from 2019 to 2023.

Mr. Lecoq held various positions in the former Department of Peacekeeping Operations, including as team leader for the Great Lakes, then for Europe, Latin America and Asia, and as senior special assistant to the Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations.  Mr. Lecoq served in peacekeeping operations in Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Haiti (after the 2010 earthquake).  He also occupied various functions for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in Ankara and New York, and for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo and Jerusalem.

He holds a master’s degree in agricultural engineering (diplôme d'ingénieur agronome) from AgroParisTech, France.  He is fluent in French and English.