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. 

Force Commander of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus 

Major General Cheryl Pearce of Australia succeeded Major General Mohammad Humayun Kabir of Bangladesh as Force Commander of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Major General Pearce has had a distinguished career in the Australian Defence Force, most recently as Commandant of the Australian Defence Force Academy (since 2017), which provides undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as military training and education for future leaders of the Navy, Army and Air Force.  In 2016, Major General Pearce was the Commander of the Australian Joint Task Force Group in Afghanistan providing training, advice and assistance to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces as part of the Resolute Support Mission of The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).  From 2013 to 2016, she served as the Australian Army Headquarters Chief of Staff and, from 2010 to 2012, as Director of Special Operations Support.  She also held the positions of Commandant of the Defence Police Training Centre and Commanding Officer of the 1^st Military Police Battalion.  Major General Pearce was also the Australian Army’s Provost-Marshal and a military observer with the United Nations Mission of Support in East Timor in 2002.

Major General Pearce holds a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from the University of New England in Armidale, a Master’s in Policing, Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism from the Macquarie University in Sydney and a Masters of Arts in Defence Studies from the Deakin University in Melbourne.

Major General Pearce was born in South Australia.  She has a partner and two daughters.
 

Ann-­Kristin Kvilekval

Senior Police Adviser of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus 

Ann-­Kristin Kvilekval of Norway began her duties as UNFICYP's new Senior Police Adviser on 1 November 2017 succeeding Col. Andrii Sachavo from Ukraine. She brings with her 26 years of policing experience and more than three years of UN peacekeeping mission experience with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timer (UNTAET) and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

Prior to joining UNFICYP, Assistant Chief of Police Kvilekval served as the National Police Directorate Liaison to the Norwegian Joint Headquarter (NJHQ) for the Armed Forces, with focus on the Emergency Response and Special Advisor to the General at the JFHQ.

Over the course of her police career, she has occupied various posts, including at the managerial level, such as International Civil Crisis management team leader of the Norwegian Police University College, Police Liaise Advisor at National Police Directorate and Course Director at the Norwegian Police. Assistant Chief of Police Kvilekval graduated from the Norwegian Defence Command and Staff College, Oslo, and has a Master's Degree in  Comparative Politics from the University of Bergen. She has also received the Norwegian Chief of Defence medal for her work during the time at the JFHQ.

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