12 September 2012 - United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Mr. Tarek Mitri of Lebanon as his new Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL)

Mr. Mitri will succeed Ian Martin (United Kingdom) who will complete his assignment on 14 October 2012. The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Martin for his dedicated service during his tenure in UNSMIL over the past year.

Mr. Mitri hails from a distinguished academic background and has held several Ministerial portfolios with the Government of Lebanon from April 2005 through June 2011, including in Administrative Reform, Environment, Foreign Affairs, Culture and Information.

Prior to joining the Lebanese Government, Mr. Mitri was the Coordinator for Interreligious Relations and Dialogue at the World Council of Churches in Geneva (1991-2005) and Program Director for the Christian-Muslim Dialogue at the Middle East Council of Churches (1984-1991).

Most recently, Mr. Mitri held the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Chair on Dialogue at Saint Joseph University in Beirut and served as a Senior Fellow at the American University of Beirut, Fares Center for Public Policy and International Affairs. He has also taught at Harvard University, the Amsterdam Free University, the University of Geneva and the University of Balamand.