Nicholas Haysom

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]

Talal Al-Haj interviewing Nicholas Haysom (left)

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
  1. Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative in South Sudan United Nations, press release of January 15, 2021.
  2. http://psimg.jstor.org/fsi/img/pdf/t0/10.5555/al.sff.document.cnf19811100.026.022.000_final.pdf
  3. http://www.historicalpapers.wits.ac.za/inventories/inv_pdft/AG3298/AG3298-1-062-text.pdf
  4. "Eight honorary doctorates to be awarded in 2012". www.uct.ac.za. University of Cape Town. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  5. "SECRETARY-GENERAL APPOINTS NICHOLAS HAYSOM OF SOUTH AFRICA EXECUTIVE OFFICE POLITICAL AFFAIRS DIRECTOR | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  6. "Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative for Afghanistan | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  7. Section, United Nations News Service (2014-09-25). "UN News - Nicholas Haysom of South Africa appointed as new UN envoy for Afghanistan". UN News Service Section. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  8. "Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan | Meetings Coverage and Press Releases". www.un.org. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  9. Mr. Nicholas Haysom of South Africa - Special Representative for Somalia and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) United Nations, press release of 12 September 2018.
  10. Margaret Besheer (April 16, 2019), UN Chief Appoints Adviser to Help AU Mediation in Sudan Voice of America.
  11. "Somalia expels UN envoy Nicholas Haysom". BBC. 2 January 2019.
  12. Margaret Besheer (April 16, 2019), UN Chief Appoints Adviser to Help AU Mediation in Sudan Voice of America.
  13. Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative in South Sudan United Nations, press release of January 15, 2021.
  14. Secretary-General Appoints Nicholas Haysom of South Africa Special Representative in South Sudan United Nations.
  15. "New York Law School 2019 Commencement Program". issuu. Retrieved 2020-10-31.
  16. N., Haysom; A., Armstrong (1984). "Population relocation and the law: Social engineering on a vast scale". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. N., Haysom; M., Khoza (1984). "Trade unions in the homelands". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  18. N., Haysom; C., Thompson (1984). "Farm labour and the law". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  19. Haysom, Nicholas (1996). Mabangalala: The Rise of Right-Wing Vigilantes in South Africa. Centre for Applied Legal Studies. ISBN 0946848548.
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