United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the designation of Stephanie Turco Williams of the United States as his Acting Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

Ms. Williams will act as Special Representative in Libya until the appointment of a successor for Ghassan Salamé of Lebanon.  The Secretary-General is grateful to Mr. Salamé for his accomplishments at the helm of UNSMIL, and his tireless efforts to bring peace and stability back to Libya.

Ms. Williams brings more than 24 years of experience in Government and International Affairs.  She has served as Deputy Special Representative (Political) in UNSMIL since 2018.  Prior to her appointment, she served as Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. at the United States Embassy in Tripoli (Libya External Office).  She has held various positions, including as Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Missions in Iraq (2016-2017), Jordan (2013-2015) and Bahrain (2010-2013), where she led the Embassy as Chargé d’Affaires for 10 months.  She also served as a Senior Adviser on Syria and at the U.S. Embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Pakistan.  At the United States Department of State, Ms. Williams has served as the Jordan Desk Officer, the Deputy Director of Egypt and Levant Affairs, and the Director of the Maghreb Office.  She previously worked in the private sector in Bahrain. 

Ms. Williams holds a master’s degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies.  She is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College, where she earned a master’s degree in National Security Studies in 2008.  She is a career Middle East specialist and an Arabic speaker.