Moroccan Benomar Hired as UN Secretary General Special Adviser

UN envoy to Yemen Jamal Benomar has been appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as his Special Adviser, at the level of Under-Secretary-General.

“Mr. Benomar is a veteran United Nations senior leader who brings to this position a deep understanding of political dialogue processes and international peace-building efforts,” said Ban in a statement issued by his spokesperson in New York.

The Moroccan-born experienced diplomat, who has British citizenship, was appointed in 2011 as a special advisor to the UN Secretary General for Yemen to help broker a political consensus among protagonists in Yemen paving the way for peaceful democratic transition in the country after ousting autocratic president Abdellah Salah.

Since he joined the UN in 1993, Benomar worked in a variety of capacities in the Organization including with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR,) the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and in the Department of Political Affairs.

He also played a significant role as the Director of UN Peace Building Commission and Peace Building Support Office.

Benomar also served in Afghanistan and Iraq as the Secretary-General’s Envoy to support the National Dialogue Conference in 2004.

Prior to his career with the UN, Benomar was a director at the Carter Centre, where he worked closely with former United States President Jimmy Carter on human rights and mediation issues.

Additionally, he also worked for Amnesty International in London. He is an expert in rule of law, governance and conflict resolution issues.