United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Anita Kiki Gbeho as his Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).
She succeeds the late Nicholas Haysom of South Africa, whose leadership and commitment to advancing peace within the United Nations system were acknowledged by the Secretary-General.
Ms Gbeho brings more than 25 years of experience in political, development, and humanitarian affairs. Her career spans multiple conflict and post-conflict contexts, including assignments in Angola, Cambodia, Iraq, Namibia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
Since 2024, she has served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General at UNMISS, in addition to holding the roles of Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Coordinator in South Sudan. In these capacities, she has periodically acted as Officer-in-Charge of the mission.
Her previous appointments include Deputy Special Representative (Political) at the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) from 2021 to 2023, and Deputy Joint Special Representative of the African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) from 2018 to 2020. She also served as Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Namibia between 2015 and 2018.
Earlier in her career, Ms Gbeho held senior roles within the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), including Chief of Section in New York and Head of Office in both Somalia and South Sudan.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences and African Studies from the State University of New York, United States, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Ghana.
