United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today (Tuesday) the appointment of Finnish diplomat Pekka Haavisto as the UN envoy to Sudan, succeeding Ramtane Lamamra of Algeria.
The UN website stated that Guterres expressed his “gratitude for [Lamamra’s] dedication and commitment to peace efforts in Sudan.” Guterres had originally appointed Lamamra as his personal envoy to Sudan in November 2023.
According to the UN website, Haavisto possesses “more than forty years of experience in politics and international affairs.” It noted that he has “held numerous ministerial positions in the Finnish government, including Foreign Minister, as well as senior positions in the European Union and the United Nations, and is currently a member of the Finnish Parliament.”
The international organization’s website added that he has “extensive experience in mediation and negotiation processes in the Horn of Africa (East Africa) and the Middle East, as well as experience working with the United Nations.”
Between 2009 and 2017, Haavisto served as the Special Representative of the Finnish Foreign Minister for Mediation and Crisis Management in Africa, and from 2005 to 2007, he served as the European Union’s Special Representative in Sudan. During this period, he also worked as a senior advisor to the United Nations in the peace process for the Darfur region in western Sudan.
Haavisto also worked with the United Nations Environment Programme between 1999 and 2005 in Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Afghanistan, Iraq, the occupied Palestinian territory, Liberia, and Sudan.
