United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres today announced the appointment of Kassim Diagne of Senegal as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

According to a statement issued by Mr. Guterres’ office and read during the daily press briefing by UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, the Senegalese diplomat succeeds Colin Stewart of Canada, "to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his strong leadership and dedicated service throughout his tenure."

Mr. Diagne brings more than 25 years of experience in international affairs and senior leadership roles within the United Nations system. He is currently serving as Deputy Special Coordinator for Humanitarian Assistance and UN Resident Coordinator in Mali, a position he has held since October 2024. Earlier in 2024, he was appointed Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

From 2021 to 2024, Diagne served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Protection and Operations at the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Previously, between 2017 and 2021, he was Director of the Political, Peacekeeping, Humanitarian and Human Rights Unit at the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. He also held key positions with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), serving as Regional Representative in the United States and the Caribbean (2017), Representative in Cameroon (2015–2016), Representative in Liberia (2014–2015), and Deputy Representative in Pakistan (2009–2011). Between 2011 and 2013, he was Chief of Governance and Partnership Service and Secretary of the Executive Committee at UNHCR headquarters in Geneva. Earlier in his career, he worked with UNHCR in Côte d’Ivoire, Rwanda, Kenya, and Somalia.

Kassim Diagne holds a Master of Arts in Modern Languages from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in the United States. He is fluent in English, French, and Wolof.