South African diplomat appointed as UN special envoy for two-Sudans

March 18, 2016 (KHARTOUM) – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday appointed a south African diplomat as special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.

Nicholas Haysom will succeed Haile Menkerios, ”to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and commitment,” said a statement released by the office of the UN chief’s spokesperson.

Haysom who has focused on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms, reconciliation and peace processes, served as the principal adviser to the Mediator in the Sudanese Peace Process from 2002 to 2005.

Until recently, he was UN special envoy for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) since 2014 and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General of UNAMA since 2012.

From (2007 to 2012) he served as Director for Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. Also he was the Head of the Office of Constitutional Support for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (2005 to 2007).

During his work in the South African government Haysom was involved in the Burundi Peace Talks as chair of the committee negotiating constitutional issues, from 1999 to 2002 under the facilitation of the late former President Nelson Mandela

(ST)