The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, a porté of his choice on M. Khassim Diagne, a Senegalese national, is the head of the United Nations Force for the Maintenance of Peace in Cyprus (UNFICYP). This nomination commemorates a brilliant diplomatic career of more than 25 years in the service of peace and the United Nations. M. and Diagne replaces the Canadian Colin Stewart, hailed for his leadership and dedication. The new Head of UNFICYP has already occupied high-level posts in some of the most complex contexts. Since October 2024, he has been acting as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in Mali. He was also Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for MONUSCO in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2021-2024) and had previously headed the Political, Humanitarian and Human Rights Unit of the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations. A seasoned diplomat, Khassim Diagne worked for many years for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), holding positions of responsibility in the United States and the Caribbean, in Cameroon, Liberia, Pakistan, but also in Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Kenya and Somalia. Educated at the University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar in modern languages and at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University, USA) in international relations, he is fluent in French, English and Wolof. With this nomination, Senegal once again confirms its place of choice in the international architecture of peacekeeping and multilateral diplomacy.
: UN le Sénégalais Khassim Diagne appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General to Cyprus
