Rabat – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Moroccan Najat Rochdi as his Deputy Envoy for Syria on Wednesday.
Rochdi succeeded Bahraini Khawla Matar, who occupied the position since 2019.
Upon her appointment, the Moroccan representative took to Twitter to thank those who supported her during her time as Special Coordinator for Lebanon, in the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) and Resident Coordinator.
Born in 1961, Rochdi holds a Master’s degree in Mathematics and Fundamental Applications from the University of Paris Sud 11 and a PhD in information systems from the National Institute of Statistics and of Applied Economics in Rabat.
With over 20 years of experience in political affairs and international coordination in conflict and post-conflict zones, Rochdi has also served as a Senior Adviser to the Special Envoy for Syria and Director of Peer to Peer with the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.
Prior to her job in Geneva, Rochdi served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA).
She had also held the position of Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Cameroon and Deputy Director of the Representative Office of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in Geneva.
Rochdi’s expertise in humanitarian assistance, conflict management, and resolution has made her a respected figure at the UN.
Before embarking upon her international career, Najat Rochdi occupied several positions within the Moroccan government.
She notably served as adviser to the prime minister, deputy minister of Small and Medium Enterprises, and director-general of International Cooperation and Development in the Ministry of Post and Information Technology.
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