Mr. Volker Perthes, UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, arrived Khartoum on 2 February 2021. 

Mr. Volker Perthes arrived in Khartoum early this morning to take up his functions as Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Sudan and Head of the United Nations Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS).  

Mr. Perthes was received by Ambassador Omer El Sheikh, Head of the National Executive Committee for Coordination with UNITAMS, representing the Sudanese government. 

“I am looking forward to working with the transitional authorities and the great people of Sudan. UNITAMS has been established, and I will devote my energy on supporting Sudan achieve its goals of democratic transformation, peace, and economic recovery,” he said. 

As a safety precaution, Mr. Perthes will remain in quarantine for seven days to ensure he is COVID-19 free before starting a schedule of meetings with national authorities, partners and colleagues. The SRSG is looking forward to working with the UN family at large and its partners in supporting a peaceful transition to democracy in Sudan, as mandated by Security Council resolution 2524.  

Mr. Perthes brings to this position over 25 years of experience in academia, research, international relations and diplomacy,, as well as deep expertise in conflict resolution and regional geopolitics.   

Before his appointment, he served as Chief Executive Officer and Director of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), and previously as Senior Adviser to the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria.  

Mr. Perthes holds a Master’s degree and a Doctorate in Political Science earned at the University of Duisburg in Germany.  He is fluent in German, English and Arabic.