Robert Dann (United Nations official)

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Robert Dann is an Australian-born United Nations political affairs officer and senior negotiator. He has worked on high-level UN mediation and peace processes, including in Cyprus and the Syrian conflict, and has served as a senior adviser to United Nations Special Envoys and within the UN Secretariat on political affairs and mediation.

Early life and education

Dann was raised in Brisbane, Queensland. He studied at the University of Queensland, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1993 and a Bachelor of Laws with First Class Honours and a University Medal in 1995. He was subsequently awarded a Rhodes Scholarship to the University of Oxford, where he completed a Master of Philosophy in International Relations with distinction.

United Nations career

Dann joined the United Nations in 1999, initially working in humanitarian and political affairs roles. Early in his UN career, he assisted in establishing a United Nations humanitarian affairs office in Belgrade following the 1999 Kosovo conflict.

He later served as special assistant to the secretary-general's special adviser on Cyprus and was involved in negotiations associated with the proposed Annan Plan for the reunification of the island. From 2003 to 2005, Dann worked as a speechwriter for United Nations Secretary-general Kofi Annan, contributing to speeches and reform reports.

Between 2005 and 2011, Dann was based in Jerusalem as chief of the Regional Affairs Unit in the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, where he was involved in diplomatic engagement related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.

He subsequently served as chief of the Mediation Support Unit in the UN Department of Political Affairs in New York, overseeing the Standby Team of Mediation Experts and advising on preventive diplomacy and mediation efforts worldwide.

In the 2010s and 2020s, Dann worked as a senior political adviser to successive United Nations Special Envoys for Syria, contributing to UN-led diplomatic initiatives related to the Syrian conflict.

Recognition

In 2010, Dann was named Young Alumnus of the Year by the University of Queensland in recognition of his contributions to international diplomacy and peace negotiations.

See also

  • United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
  • United Nations mediation
  • Annan Plan
  • Kofi Annan