UN SG appoints Mexican diplomat as new special rep for Haiti

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has officially announced the appointment of Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu from Mexico as his new Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).

Guterres’ recent UNIC update stated that Ruiz Massieu succeeds María Isabel Salvador of Ecuador, for whose dedication and service the Secretary-General expressed gratitude.

Bringing over three decades of experience in public service and diplomacy, Mr. Ruiz Massieu has a career in both bilateral and multilateral settings, shared the UNIC statement. Since 2019, he has served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Colombia, where he led the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia. In this capacity, he oversaw the monitoring of the implementation of the peace agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP guerrillas.

UNIC further said that  Ruiz Massieu also played a key role in facilitating peace negotiations involving the Colombian government and the National Liberation Army, as well as engaging with other illegal armed groups. Prior to his posting in Colombia, he was the Chairperson of the General Assembly’s Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions from 2013 to 2018.

Described by the SG as “a distinguished career diplomat”, Ruiz Massieu has held various positions within the Mexican Government, including roles at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations. He earned his law degree from Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and holds a Master of Arts in Politics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom, with a focus on Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish, and also speaks English, and French.