The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Friday Yacoub El Hillo as the new Humanitarian Coordinator to replace Maria do Valle Ribeiro of Ireland.

Guterres hailed the work done by Ribeiro and wished El Hillo best wishes in his new post.

Meanwhile, the UN envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame expressed his sincere appreciation to the outgoing coordinator Ribeiro, upon conclusion of her assignment in Libya after more than two years.

“I would like to sincerely thank my colleague, Maria de Valle Ribeiro, for her great efforts over two and a half years as a Humanitarian Coordinator and as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Libya, particularly during critical - and sometimes tragic - circumstances civilians in Libya have been going through." Salame said.

He also commended Ribeiro's humanitarian efforts during her tenure saying that she has been keenly looking after the IDPs, refugees and all those affected by the events in Libya, in constant coordination with UNSMIL leadership and UN agencies.

Salame welcomed the new coordinator saying he looks forward to the arrival of El Hillo, as "Deputy Head of Mission and Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Libya."

Since 2016, El Hillo has served as Resident Coordinator in Liberia, where he also served until 2018, as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). From 2013 to 2016, he served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Syria.