UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Swedish diplomat Ingeborg Ulrika Ulfsdotter Richardson as the new Deputy Special Representative for Libya and UN Resident Coordinator in the country.
She will work alongside Special Representative Hana Tetteh in leading the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).
Richardson replaces Zimbabwean diplomat Innocent Chuma, who had been serving in the role on an interim basis. Guterres thanked Chuma for his dedicated service during his tenure.
With more than 30 years of experience in development, humanitarian aid, and post-conflict recovery, Richardson has extensive expertise in managing complex political, social, and economic environments, as well as advancing human rights initiatives.
Most of her career has been within the UN system, where she has worked in diverse and challenging regions, including West and Central Africa, the Caribbean, the Western Balkans, and Southeast Europe.
She most recently served as Deputy Special Representative and Head of the UN Integrated Office in Haiti, while also acting as the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator there since 2022.
In that capacity, she oversaw large-scale humanitarian and development operations during one of Haiti’s most politically unstable and crisis-driven periods. Before that, Richardson was the UN Resident Coordinator in Kosovo, working closely with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to strengthen governance and development programs.
Richardson holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Gothenburg and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences from Lund University, both in Sweden. She speaks Swedish, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish fluently.
