Live Update
From the Liveblog of
Friday, January 17, 2025
Dutch diplomat Sigrid Kaag named new UN Middle East envoy

UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, Sigrid Kaag, speaks to the press at the US State Department in Washington, on January 31, 2024, as she met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has named former Dutch Foreign Minister Sigrid Kaag as the new UN Middle East envoy, a UN spokesperson said.
Kaag will also continue in her current role as the UN senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza, says deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq.
Kaag will replace Norwegian diplomat Tor Wennesland, who has held the post since 2021.