Ján Kubiš (born November 12, 1952) is a
Slovak diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
from July 2006 until January 2009.
Kubiš was appointed
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon in 2019 by
António Guterres
António Manuel de Oliveira Guterres (born 30 April 1949) is a Portuguese politician and diplomat who is serving as the ninth and current secretary-general of the United Nations since 2017. A member of the Socialist Party (Portugal), ...
, the
United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
, and as head of the
United Nations Support Mission in Libya
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
in January 2021.
Early life
Born in 1952, Kubiš studied
international economic relations at the
Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
Career
Career in the Slovak diplomatic service
From 1991 to 1992, Kubiš was Director-General of the Euro-Atlantic Section in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in
Prague
Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
. From 1989, he served in the
Czechoslovak Embassy in Moscow, and as Deputy Head of the Embassy from 1990 until his departure in 1991. Between 1985 and 1988, he headed the section dealing with security and arms control in the Czechoslovak Foreign Ministry. From 1980 to 1985, he served in the Czechoslovak Embassy in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In 1992, Kubiš served as Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Senior Officials of the Committee on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) under the Czechoslovak CSCE chairmanship. From 1993 to 1994, hw was Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Slovak Republic to the UN Office in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, as well as to the
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and other international organizations. In 1994, he was Special Ministerial Envoy and Slovak Chief Negotiator on the Pact for Stability in Europe.
Career with the OSCE
Kubiš was formerly
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is a regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization comprising member states in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, the p ...
(OSCE) Secretary General. In July 2005, the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
appointed Kubiš to be the EU's special envoy to Central Asia. Kubiš had previously served as the United Nations special envoy to
Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
from 1998 to 1999,
during the transitional period following the civil war until the country held its first postwar elections.
Prior to taking on the post as OSCE Secretary General, Kubiš was Director of the Conflict Prevention Centre in the secretariat of the OSCE, a position he held from 1994.
Career with the United Nations
Kubiš served as the Executive Secretary of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE or UNECE) is an intergovernmental organization or a specialized body of the United Nations. The UNECE is one of five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Econom ...
.
From 2015 until 2018, Kubiš served as the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI); he was appointed to this position by
United Nations Secretary-General
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or UNSECGEN) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the United Nations System#Six principal organs, six principal organs of ...
Ban Ki-moon on February 5, 2015. He was also the Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
Later on, Kubiš served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the
United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (2015–2018),
United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon in 2019,
and head of the
United Nations Support Mission in Libya
United may refer to:
Places
* United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community
* United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community
Arts and entertainment Films
* ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film
* ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...
in 2021. He resigned from the Libya mission on November 23, 2021, less than a year after he took up the role and a month before
planned elections in the country.
[Michelle Nichols (23 November 2021)]
U.N. Libya mediator quits weeks before planned election
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency ...
.
Personal life
Kubiš is married and has one daughter.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kubis, Jan
1952 births
Foreign ministers of Slovakia
Direction – Social Democracy politicians
European Union diplomats
Living people
Special Representatives of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
Moscow State Institute of International Relations alumni
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
Diplomats from Bratislava
Politicians from Bratislava
Under-Secretaries-General of the United Nations
Slovak officials of the United Nations
Slovak officials of the European Union
OSCE Secretaries General
Candidates for President of Slovakia