(Credit: UN Photo/Loey Felipe) President Biden has appointed former UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman as the new U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa Apr. 23, 2021.
By Gary Raynaldo DIPLOMATIC TIMES
Jeffrey Feltman, a former United Nations official and seasoned diplomat, will serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, the Department of State announced Friday. The appointment comes amid growing U.S. concern over the volatile situation in Ethiopia, including the conflict in Tigray; escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in announcing the new posting.
“Today, I am announcing that Jeffrey Feltman will serve as the U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa. This appointment underscores the Administration’s commitment to lead an international diplomatic effort to address the interlinked political, security, and humanitarian crises in the Horn of Africa. Having held senior positions in both the State Department and the United Nations, Special Envoy Feltman is uniquely suited to bring decades of experience in Africa and the Middle East, in multilateral diplomacy, and in negotiation and mediation to develop and execute an integrated U.S. strategy to address these complex regional issues.”
-U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken
Feltman spent nearly six years as the United Nations political chief, leaving that position in 2018. The UN Department of Political Affairs monitors and assesses political developments globally to help detect and defuse crises before they happen. Its chief advises the Secretary-General on global peace and security issues, while overseeing field-based political missions carrying out peacemaking, preventive diplomacy and peace-building activities in Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Feltman’s successor, Rosemary DiCarlo, is the first woman to hold the position.
“Of particular concern are the volatile situation in Ethiopia, including the conflict in Tigray; escalating tensions between Ethiopia and Sudan; and the dispute around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. At a moment of profound change for this strategic region, high-level U.S. engagement is vital to mitigate the risks posed by escalating conflict while providing support to once-in-a-generation opportunities for reform.”
-Secretary of State Blinken
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with Jeffrey Feltman, U.S. Special Envoy for the Horn of Africa, at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha]
Feltman was a U.S. foreign service officer for over 26 years, focusing largely on the Middle East and North Africa. Feltman was the assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from 2009 until his retirement from the State Department, with the rank of career minister, in May 2012. Before his 2004-08 tenure as U.S. ambassador to Lebanon, Feltman also served in Erbil, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Tunis, Amman, Budapest, and Port-au-Prince. Feltman is a two-time winner of the Presidential Service Award, as well as a recipient of State Department awards, including several Superior Honor Awards and the James Clement Dunn Award for Excellence in Leadership. The American Foreign Service Association conferred the Christian A. Herter Award for Constructive Dissent and also the Sinclaire Language Award.
A native of Greenville, Ohio, Feltman has a master’s in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a bachelor’s degree in history and art from Ball State University. In May 2013, Ball State University awarded Feltman an honorary doctorate. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy and the American Council on Germany.
