Nicholas Haysom

Talal Al-Haj interviewing Nicholas Haysom (left)

Nicholas Haysom (born 1952) is a South African lawyer and diplomat who focuses on democratic governance, constitutional and electoral reforms and the reconciliation and peace process. Since 2021, he has been serving as the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres' Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).^[1]

Early life and education[]

Haysom was schooled at Michaelhouse in Natal, South Africa. Subsequently, he studied at the University of Natal and the University of Cape Town, where was president of the Students Representative Council.

In 1976 Haysom became president of the National Union of South African Students at a time when the anti Apartheid student organization was in disarray after the arrest of many of its leaders.^[2] He was jailed four times by the regime, including periods where he was kept in solitary confinement.^[3] Haysom holds a degree in Law. In 2012, he also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town.^[4]

Career[]

Haysom has held high-level positions within both the United Nations and the Government of South Africa. During the period of 1999 to 2002, Haysom was involved in the Burundi peace talks and held the position as chair of the committee negotiating constitutional issues. Prior to joining the United Nations in 2005, he held the position of principal adviser to the mediator in the Sudanese Peace Process and as chief legal and constitutional adviser in the office of South African President Nelson Mandela. From 2005 to 2007, Haysom held the position of head of the Office of Constitutional Support for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). From 2007 to 2012, he held the position of director for Political, Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Affairs in the Executive Office of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.^[5]

In 2012, Haysom was appointed by Ban as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and in 2014 he was appointed as Special Representative of the mission.^[6][7] Succeeding Haile Menkerios, he was appointed as Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan in March of 2016.^[8]

In 2018, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Haysom as his Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia.^[9] After only four months,^[10] he was expelled from the country on Jan 1, 2019 by the Somalia government under the administration of Muhamed Abdullahi which claimed that he had threatened the sovereignty of the country after questioning the legal basis of the arrest of Mukhtar Robow. The United Nations Security Council expressed regret at Somalia’s decision to expel a U.N. envoy who questioned the arrest of an extremist group defector-turned-political candidate. ^[11]

After leaving his position, Haysom served as the Secretary-General’s Special Adviser on Sudan (2019–2020)^[12] and on Southern Africa (2020–2021).^[13] On 15 January 2021, the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Haysom's appointment as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).^[14]

Recognition[]

Haysom received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from New York Law School in 2019.^[15]

Bibliography[]

• Ruling with the Whip: A report on the Violation of Human Rights in the Ciskei (1983)
• Population Relocation and the Law: Social Engineering on a Vast Scale (1984), with Amanda Armstrong.^[16]
• Trade Unions in the Homelands (1984), with Modise Khoza.^[17]
• Farm Labour and the Law (1984), with Clive Thompson.^[18]
• Constitutional Court for South Africa (1991)
• Mabangalala: The Rise of Right-Wing Vigilantes in South Africa (1996)^[19]
• South African Constitutional Law: The Bill of Rights (2002)

References[]

External links[]

• haysom Nicholas Haysom at People.com