With more than 35 years of experience in international and political affairs, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding Support in the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Ms. Elizabeth Spehar has worked in United Nations Headquarters and in the field, leading political, development, peacebuilding and conflict prevention initiatives. She was previously the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), also serving as Deputy to the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Cyprus. She was the Director of the Policy and Mediation Division, the Director for the Americas and Europe Division and Director of the Europe Division, in the former Department of Political Affairs. Before joining the UN, Ms. Spehar was a senior official with the Organization of American States (OAS) for more than 12 years.
Ms. Spehar holds a Bachelor of Arts with honours from Queen’s University in Canada, a master’s degree in international affairs from Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Canada, and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures from the University of Pau in France. She speaks English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Croatian. Born in Port Arthur, Canada, she has a daughter.