Secretary-General Appoints Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of Netherlands Special Coordinator for Lebanon

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert of the Netherlands as his new Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon.

Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert succeeds Joanna Wronecka of Poland, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her commitment and leadership of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon.

Currently serving as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (since 2018), Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert brings to this position over 25 years of experience in diplomacy, international security and Middle East affairs. Prior to that, she was Minister for Defence of the Netherlands (2012-2017) — the first woman to hold this position.  She previously served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (2010-2012) and as a member of the European Parliament (2004-2010).  Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert has also worked for the European Commission in Belgium and Latvia, as well as for the City of Amsterdam and in the private sector.

Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert is proficient in English, French and German and is a native Dutch speaker.

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* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1830 of 31 August 2018.