On Sunday, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya, Stephanie Williams arrived in Tripoli. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) welcomed the arrival of Williams.
Last week, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, announced the appointment of Stephanie Williams as his Special Adviser on Libya.
According to a statement by UNSMIL, Williams will lead the good offices and mediation efforts as well as broader engagement with Libyan, regional, and international actors. The aim is to pursue the implementation of the three intra-Libyan dialogue tracks and support the holding of presidential and parliamentary elections.
UNSMIL added that Williams will work with Libyan actors to help them sustain the momentum created for national elections by the unprecedented voter registration turnout, successful distribution of voter cards, and registration of a high number of presidential and parliamentary candidates.
The statement praised the work of the High National Election Commission (HNEC), which achieved significant progress in the technical preparations of the electoral process despite many challenges and time constraints.
Libyans have suffered long enough due to conflict, fragmentation, and division of institutions. The Libyan people deserve the opportunity to choose their
Williams previously served as Acting Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL from 2020 to 2021, as well as UNSMIL’s Deputy Special Representative from 2018 to 2020.
Williams, a senior member of the United States (US) Foreign Service holds the rank of Minister-Counsellor, and joined the Libya External Office Tunis as Chargé d’Affaires in 2018. She previously served as Senior Adviser on Syria while based in London, and reported to the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs from 2017 to 2018.
Williams also served as Deputy Chief of Mission in the US Mission in Iraq from 2016 to 2017, in Jordan from 2013 to 2015 and in Bahrain from 2010 to 2013. As well as at the US Embassies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, and Pakistan. In Washington, she worked as the Jordan Desk Officer, the Deputy Director of Egypt and Levant Affairs, and the Director of the Maghreb Office.
She graduated with honours from the University of Maryland in 1987 with a double degree in Economics and Government Relations. In 1989, she earned a Master’s Degree in Arab Studies from Georgetown University’s Centre for Contemporary Arab Studies. She is a Distinguished Graduate of the National War College, where she earned a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies in 2008. She is fluent in English and Arabic.