United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Ms. Hanna Serwa Tetteh of Ghana as the Special Representative for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Ms. Tetteh succeeds Abdoulaye Bathily of Senegal, who concluded his term in May 2024. The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation for Bathily’s dedicated service and acknowledged the efforts of Deputy Special Representative Stephanie Koury, who temporarily led the mission as Officer-in-Charge.
A seasoned diplomat with decades of experience, Ms. Tetteh most recently served as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa from 2022 to 2024.
Prior to this, she was the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) from 2018 to 2020. She also held the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
Before her United Nations career, Ms. Tetteh served in various leadership roles within the Government of Ghana. She was Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2017, a period during which she chaired the Council of Ministers and the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Previously, she served as Minister for Trade and Industry from 2009 to 2013 and was a key member of Ghana’s economic management team.
Ms. Tetteh’s parliamentary career included representing the Awutu Senya Constituency (2000–2005) and later the Awutu Senya West Constituency (2013–2017). She also played a pivotal role as Co-Facilitator in the High-Level Forum for the Revitalization of the Peace Agreement in South Sudan.
A qualified lawyer, Ms. Tetteh holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the University of Ghana and was called to the Ghanaian Bar in 1992. She is fluent in English, Hungarian, and Fante.
Ms. Tetteh’s extensive background in governance, diplomacy, and international relations is expected to bring strong leadership to UNSMIL, a mission critical to supporting Libya’s peace, security, and stability.
