Mr. David Shearer was appointed Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of UNMISS on 13 December 2016 and assumed his duties on 20 January 2017.
Mr. Shearer brings to this position extensive political and humanitarian experience. He held elected office in New Zealand as a Member of Parliament from 2009 until 2016, during which time he also served as the Leader of the Labour Party and the Opposition from 2011 until 2013.
Prior to this, Mr. Shearer served as the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Representative, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) (2007-2009). Previously, he held several senior positions with the United Nations, including head of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon, Senior Humanitarian Adviser to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and Chief of OCHA in Belgrade among others. He has conducted various assignments with the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Save the Children Fund, and the International Crisis Group, and is the author of numerous publications in the areas of conflict resolution, effective interventions for peace and humanitarian affairs.
Mr. Shearer holds an MSc in Resource Management from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. He is married and has two children.
