UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has announced the appointment of Italian diplomat Claudio Cordone as Deputy Special Envoy of the United Nations for Syria, with his mandate to officially begin on 1 January 2026.

The announcement came in an official statement issued by the Secretary General’s office on Monday evening, 8 December, which explained that Cordone will succeed UN official Najat Rochdi from Morocco, who has held the position in recent years as part of the UN Special Envoy’s team on Syria.

In the statement, Guterres expressed his gratitude to Rochdi, praising the “dedication and commitment” she has shown in supporting UN efforts on the Syrian file, both humanitarian and political, including facilitating aid access and coordinating with the relevant international and regional stakeholders.

Who is Claudio Cordone

Cordone has a long record of UN and diplomatic service spanning more than four decades, across files related to human rights, international humanitarian law, and international relations.

• Since 2022, he has served as the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs and Electoral Assistance at the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
• He oversaw UN efforts to address the fate of those missing from the Gulf War of 1990 to 1991.
• Between 2017 and 2022, he served as Director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Lebanon, where he also briefly acted as Resident Coordinator and interim Humanitarian Coordinator.
• He has held various UN assignments in Libya, serving as Director of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice, and Rule of Law Division in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) between 2013 and 2017, as well as the Representative of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Libya.
• Cordone previously worked with the International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ).
• He spent more than 25 years with Amnesty International in multiple positions, including six months as Acting Secretary General in 2010.
• From 1997 to 1998, he served as Head of the Human Rights Office in the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH).
• He holds a Master’s degree in law from Sapienza University of Rome, as well as a Master’s degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University in Washington. He is fluent in Arabic, English, and French, in addition to his native Italian.
• Cordone was born in Egypt and grew up in Lebanon, and his early exposure to the region’s political dynamics drove his desire to study the modern history of the Middle East and deepen his command of the Arabic language.

United Nations stands by the Syrian people

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres paid tribute to the resilience and courage of the Syrian people, saying in a statement on Sunday evening, 7 December, that “the Syrian people have never stopped holding on to hope, despite suffering unimaginable hardships under a repressive regime that lasted for decades.”

He described the anniversary of Syria’s liberation as a day to honor the sacrifices of the Syrian people and renew the aspirations that drove the historic change in the country.

Guterres stressed that what lies ahead for Syria goes far beyond a mere political transition, calling it “an opportunity to rebuild shattered communities, heal deep divisions, and build a homeland where every Syrian, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender, or political affiliation, can live in security, equality, and dignity.”

He reaffirmed the UN’s full commitment to working with Syrians to ensure the success of this transition, saying that “the challenges are immense but not insurmountable, and the past year has shown that real change is possible when Syrians are empowered and supported to lead the transition themselves.”