United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has appointed US State Department official Stephanie T. Williams as his deputy special representative for political affairs in Libya, the UN mission to the country, UNSMIL, announced late on Monday.
Williams was formerly charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Tripoli and has over 24 years of experience in government and international affairs, including as deputy chief of the US missions in Iraq (2016-2017), Jordan (2013-2015) and Bahrain (2010-2013), where she headed the embassy as charge d’affaires for 10 months.
An Arabic speaker, Williams also served as a senior adviser on Syria and at the US embassies in the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Pakistan.
Prior to joining the US Department of State, Williams worked in the private sector in Bahrain.
Williams graduated with honours from the University of Maryland in 1987 with a degree in Economics and Government Relations. In 1989, she earned a Master’s Degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s Centre 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.
