Syria appoints former human rights lawyer Ibrahim Olabi as UN envoy

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Tuesday appointed Ibrahim Olabi as the country’s new permanent representative to the United Nations in New York, replacing Qusay al-Dahhak.

The presidential decree designates Olabi as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, with the appointment to take effect within a month, the Syrian interior ministry said.

Olabi is a Syrian lawyer who has spent most of his life in the UK and Saudi Arabia. He speaks fluent Arabic, English, and German and holds a master’s degree in international law from the University of Manchester, as well as a master’s in public policy from Oxford University.

He has previously worked to hold the Assad regime accountable for its human rights violations, working with the government of the Netherlands regarding this and founding the Syrian Centre for Legal Development.

Olabi has also served as a legal consultant on forced displacement in Syria for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

He succeeds al-Dahhak, who had represented Syria at the UN since December 2023, before the fall of the Assad regime. A career diplomat since 2004, al-Dahhak previously held posts in China and at Syria’s mission in New York before becoming permanent representative.

The appointment of Olabi comes as al-Sharaa is expected to deliver Syria’s address to the UN General Assembly in September.