Elizabeth Spehar

Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) in Cyprus and Head of UNFICYP 

SRSG Spehar succeeded Lisa. M Buttenheim, who completed her assignment on 10 June 2016.

SRSG Spehar has extensive political experience in several senior positions with the United Nations Department of Political Affairs since 2007, where she has previously served as the Director of the Policy and Mediation Division, Director for the Americas and Europe Division and Director of the Europe Division, engaging extensively on key political issues facing the region.

Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Spehar was a senior official with the Organization of American States for over 12 years, working on promoting democracy and developing the Organization’s instruments for dialogue and conflict resolution.

She holds a B.A. Honours Degree from Queen’s University, Canada; a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University, Canada, and a Diplôme d’Etudes Supérieures from the University of Pau, France.

She was born in Port Arthur, Canada, and has a daughter. 

Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir

Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir of Bangladesh as Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) in July 2016.  Major General Humayun succeeded Major General Kristin Lund of Norway.

With more than 32 years of wide-ranging command and staff experience, Major General Humayun has had a distinguished military career, having held command positions at unit, battalion, brigade and divisional level in the Bangladesh Army since 1989, as well as senior staff appointments.  As a Brigadier General, he commanded an infantry brigade and served as Director of Military Operations for the Bangladesh Army.  He commanded an infantry division from 2013 to 2016, when he was appointed to his current position as Commandant of the Bangladesh Military Academy.

Major General Humayun’s experience with the United Nations includes service as a Military Observer with the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) from 2002 to 2003, and with the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) from 1995 to 1996.

He holds three master’s degrees, in international security and strategy from King’s College, London (2013); in business administration from the University of Dhaka (2002-2005); and in defence studies from Bangladesh National University (1998-1999).  He is also a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom (2012-2013), and the United States Army Command and General Staff College (1999-2000).

Born in 1965, he is married and has three children.

Heads of Mission /Special Representatives

* In August 1994, in connection with the change of command from Major-General Minehane to Brigadier-General Vartiainen, Mr. Clark became Chief of Mission. The function of Chief of Mission reflects a unified arrangement for the United Nations operation in Cyprus and includes UNFICYP. In the absence of the Special Representative, the Deputy Special Representative assumed this function.

UNFICYP Force Commander history