New UNMISS chief arrives in Juba

2 Sep 2014

New UNMISS chief arrives in Juba

2 September 2014 - The new Special Representative of the UN Secretary General (SRSG) and head of the UN Mission in South Sudan, Ellen Margrethe Løj, arrived in Juba this morning to take up her duties.

“I’m very happy to be here and look forward to start my new function as Special Representative,” said Ms. Løj, a Danish national.

She was met at Juba International Airport by senior UNMISS management, led by Deputy SRSG Toby Lanzer, and the Undersecretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Charles Manyang,

“I’ll need a lot of briefings and I’ll need to get to know South Sudan,” she added. “It’s a huge challenge and I am looking forward to it.”

Ms. Løj, who served as SRSG to the UN Mission in Liberia from 2008 to 2012, succeeds Hilde F. Johnson of Norway, who completed her assignment on 8 July.

The new mission chief also previously held a number of senior positions in the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Ambassador to the Czech Republic, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and Ambassador to Israel.

As part of her initial activities in the country, Ms. Løj is expected to hold a town hall meeting with UNMISS staff today.

She is also expected to meet President Salva Kiir and other senior South Sudanese officials later this week.