Mohammed Al-Hassan takes over as the secretary-general’s special representative for Iraq from Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, who became special coordinator for Lebanon in May He has been Oman’s permanent representative to the UN since 2019, prior to which he held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Muscat NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday appointed Omani diplomat Mohammed Al-Hassan to be his new special representative for Iraq and head of the UN mission there. Al-Hassan succeeds Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, a former Dutch defense minister who was appointed the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon in May. “Mr. Al-Hassan brings to the position a broad range of diplomatic experience, with a career spanning over 30 years working on preventive diplomacy, peacebuilding and development,” a UN spokesperson said. The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq was established following the US-led invasion of the country in 2003. It was handed a robust mandate to help develop Iraqi institutions, support political dialogue and elections, and promote human rights. The Security Council voted in May this year to end the mission by 2025. The decision was welcomed by the Iraqi government, which had requested that it be terminated on the grounds it was no longer needed because the nation had made significant progress toward stabilization. Al-Hassan has served as the Sultanate of Oman’s permanent representative to the UN since 2019. Prior to that, he held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Muscat, including acting undersecretary for diplomatic affairs (2016), chief of staff (2015) and head of the Minister’s Department (2012). He also served as the nation’s ambassador to the Russian Federation, and as nonresident ambassador to Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova, and as deputy permanent representative of Oman to the UN in Geneva. Al-Hassan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Washington in Seattle, a Master of Science degree in international relations from St. John’s University in New York, and a doctorate in Economics from Moscow State University of Economics, Statistics and Informatics. He speaks Arabic, English, Norwegian and Russian.