Peter de Clercq is a retired United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and a Sr. Special Advisor to the United Nations Development Programme and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York. He is the former Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Resident/Humantarian Coordinator for Somalia and Haiti. He worked with the UN for 35 years in peacekeeping, political affairs, development and humanitarian operations. Following retirement from the UN in 2019, Peter was a Visiting Professor at the School of Governance in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg and currently an Adjunct Professor at the Law Faculty at Nelson Mandela University in Gqberha.

Mr. de Clercq engaged with the United Nations on political processes, security sector reform, operations and emergency management, protection of civilians and rule of law, as well as mobilisation and management of humanitarian and development assistance. He spearheaded some of the largest global humanitarian emergencies and led development, reconstruction and Peace/State Building efforts in highly complex and fragile environments.

Peter holds a master’s degree in development sociology from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands and is a graduate of the Netherlands’ Institute for International Affairs “Clingendael” in The Hague. He has published on a wide range of issues including Peace- and State Building, UN reform, Social Protection- and Displacement related issues.