United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 17 January 2025 the designation of Sigrid Kaag of the Netherlands as Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority (UNSCO) ad interim.Â
She succeeds Tor Wennesland of Norway to whom the Secretary-General expressed his gratitude for his dedication and leadership of UNSCO during a particularly challenging time.
Ms. Kaag’s role as Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process ad interim will be concurrent with her present mandate as the Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2720 (2023).
She brings a wealth of experience in political, humanitarian and development affairs, as well as in diplomacy. Most recently, she served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and first female Minister of Finance in the Dutch government (2022-2024). Prior to this, she was Dutch Minister for Trade and Development Cooperation (2017-2021), and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2021).Â
Ms. Kaag has held a wide range of senior positions in the United Nations system, notably as United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (2015-2017) and Special Coordinator of the Joint Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and the United Nations Mission in Syria (2013-2015). She served as Assistant Secretary-General with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2010-2013) and as Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Jordan (2007-2010). Prior to that, Ms. Kaag served in several senior positions with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Ms. Kaag holds a Master of Art in Middle East Studies from the University of Exeter, UK, a Master of Philosophy in International Relations from Oxford University, UK, and a Bachelor of Arts in Middle East Studies from the American University in Cairo, Egypt. She speaks Dutch, German, French, English, Spanish and Arabic.
