BEIRUT, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations named Danish diplomat Pernille Dahler Kardel as the new UN special coordinator for Lebanon, replacing Sigrid Kaag, who left last month after serving a two-and-a-half-year term, the UN said in a statement.
According to the statement, Kardel, a veteran diplomat, has 25 years of experience in foreign service, having been posted as the Danish Ambassador to Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Djibouti.
Kardel is very highly regarded in the diplomatic community. She holds master's degrees in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University in the United States and in interdisciplinary planning from Roskilde University in Denmark.
In her previous postings, she strongly advocated for women's rights and electronic voting. She has also spoken out about the protection and safety of journalists.
The UN special coordinator for Lebanon was established to promote peace and stability in south Lebanon and now takes on a whole-of-Lebanon approach to help the country's stability, state institutions and international assistance in support of humanitarian and development work.
