UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced Friday the appointment of Volker Perthes as the Head of the Independent Strategic Review of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
The mission is mandated by Security Council resolution 2682 (2023).
According to a UN statement, Mr. Perthes brings to this position three decades of experience in academia, research, international relations and diplomacy, including with the United Nations. From 2021 to 2023, he served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan.
Perthes, a German national, stepped down from his role in Sudan last month after Sudan’s military-controlled government declared him unwelcome in the war-torn country.
From 2015 to 2018, Perthes served as Senior Adviser to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, including as Chairperson of the International Syria Support Group’s Ceasefire Taskforce for Syria on behalf of the United Nations.
Mr. Perthes has also served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) from 2005 to 2020, and as Researcher and Head of Department at SWP from 1992 to 2005. He began his academic career as Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut from 1991 to 1993.
Mr. Perthes holds a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Political Science earned at the University of Duisburg in Germany. He is fluent in English, German and Arabic.