New head of U.N. mission for S. Sudan arrives in Juba

January 21, 2017 (JUBA) – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General in South Sudan, David Shearer arrived in Juba on Friday.

Shearer, also head of the United Nations mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) succeeds Ellen Margrethe Løj, whose term ended in November last year.

Upon arrival in the capital, the senior U.N. official was welcomed by his deputy for political affairs, Moustapha Soumaré, who temporarily headed UNMISS.

Shearer said he was looking forward to the assignment, which he acknowledged wiould be a challenging one.

“The people of South Sudan deserve to have a state that is functioning and looks after them, is stable and provides for their peace and prosperity,” he told reporters.

The world body, Shearer further stressed, would do whatever it could to bring peace and stability in the young nation.

According to the senior U.N. official, changing the current situation in South Sudan requires strong engagement and political will from the leadership in the country in collaboration with the global community.

Prior to taking up this post, Shearer served as a Member of Parliament in New Zealand from 2009, resigning that post effective 31 December 2016.

The Special Representative had previously also served as the Secretary General’s Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) from 2007-2009.

Shearer reportedly held several senior positions with the world body, including head of its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory; Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon; Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA); and Chief of OCHA in Belgrade, among other senior positions.

(ST)