Carlos Gabriel Ruiz-Massieu Aguirre
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH)
Mexico
On 02 July 2025, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Carlos G. Ruiz Massieu of Mexico as his new Special Representative for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH).
Mr. Ruiz Massieu brings to this position over 30 years of experience in public service and diplomacy, both in bilateral and multilateral contexts. As Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Colombia since 2019, he led the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia, monitoring the implementation of the Peace Agreement between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia–People’s Army (FARC-EP) guerrilla. He provided good offices and political leadership in the recent peace dialogues of the Government of Colombia and the National Liberation Army, as well as with other illegal armed groups. Prior to this assignment, he served as the Chairperson of the General Assembly’s Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions from 2013 to 2018.
A distinguished career diplomat, Mr. Ruiz Massieu served in different positions in the Mexican Government prior to joining the United Nations, including at the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations. Mr. Ruiz Massieu is a graduate in law from the Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, and holds a Master of Arts in politics from the University of Essex in the United Kingdom, with a focus on Latin America. In addition to Spanish, he speaks English and French.
Nicole Flora Boni Kouassi
Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti
Côte d'Ivoire
Ms./Dr. Nicole Boni Kouassi has over 25 years of international professional experience, particularly in Africa, in countries with diverse development contexts.
Before her appointment in October 2025 as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Resident Coordinator, and Humanitarian Coordinator of the United Nations in Haiti, she had served as UNDP Resident Representative in Niger since September 2022. During that period, she also acted as interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for one year.
Ms./Dr. Nicole Boni Kouassi has also held the position of UNDP Resident Representative in Burundi, as well as Deputy Resident Representative in Niger and Djibouti. Previously, she worked with UNDP in New York and Nigeria, and with UNAIDS in Côte d’Ivoire.
A strategic leader with proven ability to coordinate development, humanitarian, and transformational policies and programs at both central and decentralized levels, Ms./Dr. Nicole Boni Kouassi is an Ivorian national. She holds a Doctorate in Medicine and a Master’s in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. She is fluent in French and English.