Secretary-General Appoints Claudio Cordone of Italy Deputy Special Envoy for Syria

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Claudio Cordone of Italy as his new Deputy Special Envoy for Syria.

Mr. Cordone, who will start as Deputy Special Envoy on 1 January 2026, succeeds Najat Rochdi of Morocco to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication, hard work and leadership during pivotal moments of the United Nations efforts to support a political transition process in Syria.

Mr. Cordone brings 40 years of experience in international relations, international human rights and humanitarian law.  He has been serving as Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) since 2022, where he also oversaw United Nations efforts to address the fate of missing persons in the 1990-1991 Gulf War.

Prior to that, Mr. Cordone served as Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Lebanon (2017-2022), where he also briefly served as the interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator.   Mr. Cordone served as Director of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Division with the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) (2013-2017), as well as Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Libya.  He worked with the International Center for Transitional Justice and spent over 25 years with Amnesty International in multiple capacities, including a six-month tenure as interim Secretary General in 2010.  From 1997 to 1998, he served as Chief of the Human Rights Office with the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH).

Mr. Cordone holds a Master of Law degree from Sapienza University, Rome, Italy, and a Master of Arts degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., United States.  Beside his native Italian, he speaks English.

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* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/2129 of 11 July 2022.