Bahraini appointed deputy special envoy for Syria

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced yesterday the appointment of Khawla Matar of Bahrain as the Deputy Special Envoy for Syria.

Ms Matar succeeds Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy of Egypt, to whom the Secretary-General reiterated his gratitude for efforts in the search for peace in Syria. Bringing profound knowledge of the region, the Syria conflict and the United Nations system to her new position, Ms Matar’s experience includes her earlier assignments as Deputy Head of the United Nations Development System Transition Team in New York, Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in Beirut, and Director of the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria, in Damascus.

She also served as Spokesperson for the Office of the Joint United Nations-League of Arab States Special Representative for Syria and Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Cairo. She has written and published extensively on regional politics and related issues. Ms Matar holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom.