Our Team in Libya

Mr. Aeneas Chapinga Chuma of Zimbabwe has been appointed the Secretary-General as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim for Libya. Mr. Chuma succeeds Georgette Gagnon of Canada, who completed her assignment in September 2024. Mr. Chuma will be based in Tripoli.

Mr. Chuma brings with him a wealth of development and leadership experience. Before this appointment, Mr. Chuma served as Eritrea's United Nations Resident Coordinator. Mr. Chuma held several positions within the United Nations, including serving as ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Africa from 2014 to 2017. He was appointed acting United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia in October 2018. He also served as Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Mission, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, and UNDP Resident Representative in Liberia from 2012-2014.

Mr. Chuma also served as the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Kenya from 2008 to 2012 and Zambia from 2003 to 2008. From 2000 to 2003, he was Mozambique's UN Deputy Resident Representative.

He also held various positions with the United Nations Development Programme in New York, Oman, and Zimbabwe.

Mr. Chuma holds a master’s degree in applied economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Ms. Koury, of the United States, as Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs (DSRSG-P) in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on 1 March 2024.

Ms. Koury arrived in Libya on 24 April 2024. On 16 May 2024, she assumed the role of officer-in-charge following the resignation of the former Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Abdoulaye Bathily.

Ms. Koury has more than 30 years of extensive experience supporting political processes, peace talks and mediation in conflict and post-conflict settings, including in the Middle East and over 15 years with the United Nations in Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, the Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Ms. Koury previously served in Libya with UNSMIL from 2011 – 2013 and most recently served as Director of Political Affairs in the United Nations Transition Assistance Mission in the Sudan (UNITAMS).

Ms. Stephanie Koury holds a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from the University of Texas, US. Ms. Koury speaks Arabic and English.

Dr Zouiten has extensive and broad experience working in many different public health programmes from his time as WHO Representative to Iraq and, before that, as WHO Representative to Djibouti, as well as many years working in WHO headquarters, including in the fields of communicable and noncommunicable diseases and health system strengthening.
Dr Zouiten holds a Doctoral Degree in Health and Health Sciences from Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco. He is also a qualified Medical Doctor.

Sophie is a development professional with twenty-five years of experience in leadership and technical advisory positions, of which seventeen years with UNDP.

Until recently, Sophie was a Deputy Resident Representative of programmes in UNDP Somalia; before that, she was a Senior Advisor with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau. During 2018-2022, Sophie served as Deputy Resident Representative in UNDP Indonesia, where she led the work of the Country Office in the areas of resilience, climate and innovative finance, energy transition, health governance, and digitalisation. She is particularly proud of the Gold Gender Seal Award, which the Indonesia Country Office earned under her leadership in 2020. Previously, she was Deputy Country Director of UNDP Nepal (2014-2018), where, among others, she led the Country Office’s work in post-disaster reconstruction and resilience building following a devastating earthquake in 2015, support to the federalisation and parliamentary development following the approval of the new Constitution, and women’s empowerment. Sophie started her career with UNDP as ARR in Georgia CO in 2007, and served in Armenia as DRR a.i. in 2013.



Before joining UNDP in 2007, Sophie managed large-scale development projects with USAID, DFID and the EU, mainly in the fields of agriculture development and public finance management. She also worked as a Technical advisor with the WB and FAO. During 2004-2007 she was an advisor to the Ministers of Agriculture and Finance in Georgia and was a member of the Reforms Council under the Office of the Prime Minister of Georgia. Sophie was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Community Development Initiatives of the British Petroleum Exploration.

A Georgian citizen, she holds a PhD in Mathematics from the Georgian Academy of Sciences and a Master’s in Economics and Policy from Warwick University, UK. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mechanics and Mathematics from Tbilisi State University.

Since October 2022, Eric Falt is the Director (D2) of the UNESCO Regional Office for the Maghreb. He has over thirty years of experience in the United Nations. Between 2018 and 2022, he was Director of the UNESCO Office in New Delhi, covering South Asia. He joined UNESCO in 2010 as Assistant Director-General for External Relations and Public Information, with the rank of UN Assistant Secretary-General – a position he held in Paris for eight years. .From 2007 to 2010, Mr. Falt served as Director of the Department of Public Information at United Nations Headquarters in New York. Before taking up this position, he was from 2002 to 2007 Director of Communications for the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), based at its headquarters in Nairobi. Throughout the 1990s and until 2002, Mr Falt served in UN peacekeeping and humanitarian operations – successively in Cambodia, Haiti and Iraq, as well as for the United Nations Secretariat in Pakistan.

Ms. Fatma Zourrig is Chief of the Mine Action Programme in UNSMIL, Libya. Ms. Zourrig has over eight years of experience with MINUSMA (Mali), UNAMA (Afghanistan) and UNMHA (Yemen). She has held various positions with the UN including Senior Coordinator Officer of the G5 Sahel Interim Support Programme, Special Assistant to the SRSG, Coordination Officer and Political Affairs Officer. Prior to joining the UN, Fatma served as Special Assistant to the Secretary-General of the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization in the League of Arab States. Ms. Zourrig is of Tunisian nationality and holds a Master’s degree in Journalism.

Florence Basty is the Country Representative for the Tunisia and Libya Cluster at UN Women. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director of the Coordination Division at UN Women. Originally from Montpellier, France, Florence is a dedicated advocate for women’s rights and gender equality, strongly committed to fostering greater collaboration and integration across the United Nations system.

Throughout her career, Florence has made significant contributions to advancing gender equality. She developed the first Gender Strategy for the Development Coordination Office (DCO) as part of the UNDS Reform. In Morocco, she successfully led a joint program funded by the MDG Funds, involving eight UN entities, 13 national ministries, and numerous NGOs to combat violence against women. This program was recognized as one of the best practices by the MDG Fund. Florence also established the first Regional Gender Thematic Group for West and Central Africa, which received an award from the UNSDG for its success in mainstreaming gender within the UN. Additionally, she managed the Fund for Gender Equality in Africa, supporting grassroots organizations in seven countries to strengthen the economic and political empowerment of women at the local level.

Florence’s professional experience spans North, West, and Central Africa. Before joining the UN, she worked with NGOs in the Middle East and South America and taught international relations at a university.

Florence holds two bachelor’s degrees in history and anthropology, focusing on the MENA region, a master’s degree in international relations from Sciences Po Paris, and a PhD in international relations from the same institution, where she specialized in human security. Outside of her professional life, she enjoys hiking, reading, and photography. Florence is married and the mother of three children.

Dr. Amrani is a Fulbright scholar, he has over 33 years of experience in development and research. Prior to joining the FAO, Dr. Amrani held various senior positions including, Senior Adviser and Acting Director at Environment Canada, the Director of Research and Innovation at the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (UAE), in addition to senior positions at the Islamic Development Bank, at the United Nations Compensation Commission (Geneva), and at the National Agricultural Research Institute (Morocco). Dr. Amrani has led development of numerous National Strategies, road maps, and policies addressing large areas including rural development, SDGs, food security, climate change, conflicts situations, COVID-19 impacts, and market shocks.

Mr. Mohammad Fayyazi was appointed as the UNICEF Representative in Libya as of July 2024.

Mr. Fayyazi has been working for the UN system for the last 24 years. He started his career with UNHCR in 2000 and then joined UNICEF in 2005.

Before taking his current position as Representative in Libya, he was the Representative of UNICEF in Turkmenistan for the past three years.

Fayyazi was the Chief of Field Operations and Emergency Coordinator in UNICEF Lebanon (2019-2021), managing UNICEF presence in five field locations and the humanitarian response to multiple crises in the country. He held a similar role in Afghanistan from 2016 to 2019, overlooking 13 field offices and Emergency response to the conflict, drought and returnee’s crisis in the country.

Fayyazi served as Humanitarian Policy Advisor at Office of Emergency Programmes (EMOPS) in New York from 2012 to 2016, completing support missions and assignments in Eastern Ukraine, Myanmar, Northern Nigeria, Iraq, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, Kenya, Syria and South Sudan.

Fayyazi worked in Afghanistan as Programme Coordinator for the Central Region from 2010 to 2012. Before this, he was Child Protection Specialist in Western Darfur (El-Geneina, Sudan) from 2008 to 2010, and Child Protection Specialist in UNICEF Iran from 2005 to 2008.

Mohammad Fayyazi is a national of Iran and has a MA in Political Sociology from University of Tehran. He is fluent in English and Arabic.

Mohammad Tariq Sonnan, a National of Afghanistan, joined the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in 2018 as Head of Drug Demand Reduction and Harm Reduction Progamme, Kabul, Afghanistan, overseeing multimillion-dollar projects targeting crucial public issues, including substance use disorders, communicable and noncommunicable disease prevention, treatment and care in Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan.
Since 2013, Mr. Sonnan has served as the UNODC Programme Coordinator for the MENA region, based in Egypt. In this role, he has been dedicated to the comprehensive implementation of all UNODC mandates across the region, emphasizing people-centred, inclusive, and human rights-based strategies to ensure equitable access to services for all. Since November 2024, he is also heading UNODC Libya Office.
Mr. Sonnan expanded and extended the UNODC health portfolio in the region from Egypt to Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, and Tunisia. He has driven several key initiatives, including the establishment of the First Ever Prison Health Project in the MENA region, covering Egypt, Morocco, Sudan, South Sudan, and Tunisia.
Mr. Sonnan has also been instrumental in implementing evidence-based drug demand reduction and harm reduction services across the region. A notable achievement is in establishing pilot Opioid Agonist Treatment (OAT) sites in Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, and Palestine, as well as his efforts to introduce similar OAT initiatives in Egypt, Jordan, and Tunisia. Additionally, he has led numerous drug use studies and the development of policies, strategies, and guidelines for the prevention, treatment, and care of drug and communicable diseases in the region.
Prior to joining UNODC, he worked with the United Nations World Food Programme, USAID, Swedish Committee, and well known hospitals.
Mr. Sonnan holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Institute of Management Sciences in Pakistan and a Medical Degree from Nangarhar Medical Faculty in Afghanistan.

A national of Italy, she has served with UNDP, IFAD, UNRWA and then with IOM. At IOM she has worked in its regional office in Kenya, then as head of office in Uganda and in Senegal; at IOM HQs she was Head of the Return Division and more recently Head of the International Partnerships Division. She was IOM Chief of Mission in Albania and then in Yemen and up to last May at IOM Niger.

Mr. Gilabert is a development economist with over 30 years of experience managing industrial and private sector development portfolios across Asia, the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, North Africa and sub-Saharan countries. Patrick joins the UNIDO regional office in Cairo as Regional Representative having previously served in UNIDO's office in Brussels as Deputy to the Director.

Before his appointment in Brussels, Patrick was UNIDO Deputy Representative to the United Nations in New York (2016-2018), Representative and head of the UNIDO country offices in Hanoi, Vietnam (2011-2016) and in Antananarivo, Madagascar (2007-2010) with coverage of the Union of Comoros, Seychelles, and Mauritius. Patrick Gilabert started his career with UNIDO in Vietnam in 1993, followed by Headquarters in Vienna (1996-2006). Previously, he worked for the smart cards company Gemplus Electronics in France, and the French Embassy (Trade Commission) in Japan and Sri Lanka.

Mr. Samir Anouti serves as UNFPA Country Representative for Libya since January 2022. He is a public health and international development expert with substantive experience and record of accomplishment in leading development and technical cooperation programmes, innovative partnerships, and resource mobilization. He brings over 20 years of international service with the United Nations including positions with UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNAIDS, and The Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Secretariat. His duty stations of service to date included: Tripoli, Cairo, Montreal, Amman, Geneva, Djibouti, and Beirut. He holds a Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree from the American University of Beirut, and is a member of several international and regional associations, including the Canadian Public Health Association, and the Association pour la Santé Publique du Québec. He is married and has two children.

Suki Nagra is currently (since September 2020) serving as head of UNSMIL’s Human Rights, Rule of Law and Transitional Justice Service, based in Tripoli, Libya and also serves as Representative of UN OHCHR to Libya. Suki was previously based in Yemen working on the UN’s largest emergency operation, as Senior Peace and Development Adviser - responsible for identifying entry points for conflict prevention and recommending strategic engagement to promote peace and advance sustainable development. As Head of the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in southern Yemen, she was also responsible for convening and coordinating collective UN efforts in recovery, stabilisation, sustainable development and support for the peace process. Suki has over 25 years’ experience working in some of the UN’s most complex operations, including in Syria, where she led UNICEF’s protection pillar and served as senior adviser on humanitarian policy and advocacy; and leadership roles focused on advancing human rights and the rule of law in Afghanistan where she led work on women’s rights, children protection, and rights aspects of the peace process; in Iraq where she led a UN Fact Finding Mission on violations perpetrated by ISIL, and Sri Lanka where she supported government capacities on peacebuilding and human rights. Previously, she led a UN human rights mission tasked with investigating widespread violence and allegations of grave human rights violations in Rakhine State, Myanmar. She worked for over five years with Amnesty International, leading research and advocacy initiatives in East Asia, including on the DPRK. Her expertise includes conflict analysis and peacebuilding, humanitarian action, governance, and human rights. Suki holds an undergraduate degree in Law and International Relations, a master’s degree in International Security Studies as well as an LL.M in International Human Rights Law.