Norwegian diplomat Geir Pedersen is officially appointed as the special envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria. This was announced on Wednesday at a briefing by the official representative of the Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric.
“Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced today the appointment of Norway’s representative Geir Pedersen as his special envoy for Syria. The Secretary-General also takes the opportunity to express his deep appreciation to Staffan de Mistura for his active efforts and contribution to the search for peace for Syria,” said Stephane Dujarric
Antonio Guterres expressed confidence that Pedersen “will take advantage of decades of political and diplomatic experience in both the government and the UN.” He recalled that the Norwegian diplomat from 2012 to 2017 was the country’s permanent representative to the UN, and then served as ambassador to China.
Pedersen was born in 1955 in Oslo. From 1998 to 2003, he served as the representative of Norway in Palestine. During his career at the UN, he served as a special coordinator for Lebanon, and also as the representative of the secretary-general in South Lebanon. On October 17, the current UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said that after more than four years of service, he would leave his post in late November.
