“I am delighted to be here in Baghdad and ready to get down to work. We will continue our efforts in support of Iraq as the country recovers from the fight against terrorism and looks towards a brighter future,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert when assuming her responsibilities on Monday, according to a press release received by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) through the United Nations Information Center (UNIC) in Tehran on December 18.
“I count on the support of the experienced staff in UNAMI and the UN family in Iraq, and the continued excellent cooperation of the host country so that together we can deliver on our programs in the service of Iraq and the Iraqis. It is my intention to make the wellbeing of the Iraqis a top priority, and work towards that goal in the security, humanitarian, political, economic and development fields.”
Hennis-Plasschaert, of the Netherlands, brings over 20 years of political and diplomatic experience, having served in several high-level Government and parliamentary positions.
She was Minister for Defense of the Netherlands (2012-2017). She also served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands (2010-2012) and a member of the European Parliament (2004-2010). She worked for the European Commission in Brussels and in Riga, Latvia, and for the City of Amsterdam.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Gueterres appointed Hennis-Plasschaert on 31 August 2018. She succeeded Ján Kubiš who has served in the post for almost four years.
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Tehran, Dec 18, IRNA – UN secretary-general Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq pledged to continue UN support for Iraq in its post-conflict recovery.
