By Sami Zaptia.
London, 17 December 2020:
The UN Security Council approved on 15 December the proposal from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to appoint Bulgarian Nickolay Mladenov, currently UN Middle East envoy, as the new special envoy to Libya.
He was first revealed in September, but disagreement between Security Council members has delayed his approval.
Technically, he succeeds Ghassan Salamé who resigned in March but in reality he will replace Acting special envoy Stephanie Williams. It is not known, though, when Mladenov will take up the post. Williams confirmed this week that she will still be in post by the first week of January.
Raisedon Zenenga UNSMIL Coordinator
Yesterday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Raisedon Zenenga of Zimbabwe as Assistant Secretary-General and Mission Coordinator of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). This position is established pursuant to Security Council resolution 2542 (2020).
The UN press brief said Zenenga brings with him diverse and substantial experience in supporting political processes and mediation, proven skills in managing complex peace operations, and significant experience in working with Government and other key stakeholders in conflict and post-conflict settings. He has over 30 years of United Nations, Government and Diplomatic Service experience, 21 of which serving with the Organization in field offices including in Liberia, Iraq-Kuwait, Sierra Leone, Somalia and South Sudan.
He has served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) since 2014, and before that as Deputy Special Representative (Political) with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). He was previously a senior manager at United Nations Headquarters for 10 years, during which he supported several United Nations peacekeeping operations in Africa.
Zenenga graduated in public administration and political science from the University of Zimbabwe and received diplomatic training from the Australian Development Assistance Bureau. He is married and has three children.
UNSC agrees new UNSMIL head and a Coordinator, to vote on them this week | (libyaherald.com)
