Mr. Conway’s appointment follows the tenure of Adam Abdelmoula from Sudan, who has been appointed as the Resident Coordinator in Syria. The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Mr. Abdelmoula for his dedicated service in Somalia.

With over two decades of experience in crisis prevention and peacebuilding, Mr. Conway is well-equipped for his new responsibilities. He is currently serving as the acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General/Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia for the second time, having previously held the acting position in 2019.

His current role is an assignment from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Crisis Bureau in New York.

In a statement, the UN said Conway’s connection with Somalia goes back to his time as the Country Director for UNDP in Somalia from 2013 to 2019. Prior to this, he occupied various senior positions within UNDP, including the role of Strategic Adviser to the Regional Bureau for Africa, acting UNDP Country Director in South Sudan, Head of Programmes in Southern Sudan (Sudan), and Programme Specialist with a focus on crisis prevention and strategic planning in Indonesia.

The United Nations Mission in Somalia (UNSOM), tasked with providing policy guidance to the Somali Government and the African Union Mission in Somalia, faces a mounting wave of local criticism and challenges.

The mission’s mandate include advising Somalia on peacebuilding and state-building across several critical domains including governance, security sector reform, and the rule of law, the mission covers vital areas such as combatant disengagement, development of a federal system, constitutional review, democratisation, and coordination of international donor support.

Despite its pivotal role, UNSOM has recently encountered significant setbacks. Critics have voiced concerns over its perceived bias and lack of neutrality, portraying it as a political entity entangled in corrupt practices. Moreover, the mission has come under scrutiny for its alleged involvement of covering up human rights violations within the country.

At present, the mission is under the leadership of Catriona Laing, hailing from the United Kingdom. As UNSOM grapples with these challenges, the mission’s future actions and approach remain under close observation.