The outgoing UN Secretary-General on Monday announced the appointment of David Shearer of New Zealand as new Special Representative for South Sudan.
Shearer succeeds Ellen Margrethe L√∏j as head of the UN Mission in South Sudan or UNMISS.
Ban Ki-moon appreciated L√∏j’s dedication and excellent leadership under challenging political, security, humanitarian and human rights circumstances in South Sudan.
Shearer previously served as Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the UN Mission for Iraq from 2007 to 2009.
He was head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Palestine and Lebanon.
Shearer also served as a senior humanitarian adviser to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and Chief of OCHA in Belgrade.