Leadership

	Sigrid Kaag Under-Secretary-General Ms. Kaag of the Netherlands serves as the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority ad interim.  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).  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.
	Muhannad Hadi Assistant Secretary-General United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 13 April 2024 the appointment of Muhannad Hadi of Jordan as his new Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident Coordinator, Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO). Mr. Hadi will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator. He succeeds James Eugene McGoldrick of Ireland, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service. Having served since 2020 as the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis, Mr. Hadi brings more than 30 years of extensive international experience in humanitarian affairs and development work.  Prior to this, Mr. Hadi served as World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Europe (2015-2020), as WFP’s Regional Emergency Coordinator for the Syria Crisis (2012-2015) and as WFP Representative/Country Director in Syria (2009-2012).  Mr. Hadi began his career in 1990 with the International Committee of the Red Cross and has since worked for WFP in Iraq, Yemen, Sudan, Indonesia, Lebanon, Italy, Jordan, Egypt and Syria. Mr. Hadi holds a BA in Business Economics from the University of Alabama as well as a Postgraduate Award in Management and Business Studies from the University of Warwick. Fluent in English and Arabic, Mr. Hadi is a renowned expert in Middle Eastern Affairs and a frequent speaker on the affairs of the Arab world. Mr. Hadi is married with three children.