Colin Stewart has arrived in Cyprus to formally assume his duties as the new Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (Unficyp), the force announced on Monday.
Stewart, who succeeds Elizabeth Spehar, will also be the Deputy Special Adviser to the Secretary-General (DSASG) on Cyprus.
Speaking upon his arrival, he said he was “honoured” to be in Cyprus and paid tribute to Spehar “for her stalwart leadership of UNFICYP and the Good Offices mission”.
“I am keenly aware of the importance of UNFICYP’s mandate for the lives of all Cypriots and I look forward to working with all of you. I look forward to working with all of our stakeholders and forging good working relationships and learning from all of you so that together hopefully we can help bring lasting peace to this island”, he said in a video message.
According to an announcement by UNFICYP, Colin Stewartwill meet President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar as well as other senior officials, civil society representatives, members of the diplomatic community, and the United Nations family across the island over the coming weeks.
“Mr. Stewart, who until recently served as Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) (2017-2021), brings to the role a long record of leadership, diplomacy and effective management, with over 28 years of experience in peace and security and international affairs.
Prior to MINURSO, he served as Deputy Head and Chief of Staff of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) in Addis Ababa, and held appointments in several United Nations field missions, including as Acting Chief of Staff and Chief of Political Affairs at the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) (2007-2009). He was a Canadian diplomat from 1990 to 1997.
Mr. Stewart is a graduate of Laval University in Canada. He is fluent in English and French”.
