Sixty-years-old Canadian Colin Stewart is the twenty fourth appointed UNSG`s Particular Consultant and head of the UN peacekeeping drive in Cyprus.
However his assigned job – as of final week – to help efforts in direction of the divided island’s reunification is way from straightforward. All his predecessors have failed, afterall.
As a primary step, he has managed to carry collectively the estranged two group leaders collectively after a while at a reception on Tuesday on the UN-controlled Ledra Palace.
Each President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot chief Ersin Tatar have responded positively to the social get-together beneath UN auspices. However expectations are very low over the much-desired purpose of suspended reunification talks to re-start.
Cyprus is split since a 1974 invasion by Turkey which nonetheless maintains troops within the breakaway north.
Stewart has made step one in bringing the 2 sides collectively however much more are wanted and he is aware of it.
Talking upon his arrival, he despatched a message of hope when he mentioned: “I sit up for persevering with the work of the United Nations in Cyprus and hope to forge robust working relationships with all stakeholders and be taught from them in order that, collectively, we will hopefully carry an enduring peace to the island.”
He added: “I’m honored to be right here in Cyprus because the Particular Consultant of the Secretary-Normal and Deputy Particular Adviser. I’m keenly conscious of the significance of UNFICYP’s mandate for the lives of all Cypriots and I sit up for working with all of you and our companions in Cyprus.”
Till not too long ago, Stewart served as Particular Consultant of the Secretary-Normal and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) (2017-2021).
Previous to MINURSO, he served as Deputy Head and Chief of Employees of the United Nations Workplace to the African Union (UNOAU) in Addis Ababa.
And he has held appointments in a number of United Nations discipline missions, together with as Appearing Chief of Employees and Chief of Political Affairs on the United Nations Built-in Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) (2007-2009).
He was a Canadian diplomat from 1990 to 1997, and is a graduate of Laval College in Canada. He’s fluent in English and French.