Ambassador Michele J. Sison was sworn in as the new Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs on Dec. 21, 2021, after serving as an ambassador to five different countries over almost 20 years.
In a press release from the Department of State late last year, officials announced Michele J. Sison, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti from February 2018 to October 2021, as the new Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.
"Ambassador Sison has long experience with UN peacekeeping and the UN entities responsible for development, humanitarian relief, and human rights," government officials said in the press release.
In addition to her role as the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, Sison also severed as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives (2012-2014), US Ambassador to Lebanon (2008-2010), and US Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (2004-2008), according to the press release. Outside of her roles as various ambassadors, Ambassador Sison's diplomatic assignments also included Assistant Chief of Mission in Baghdad, Iraq, in addition to a number of other international consul positions spanning countries and continents.
Ambassador Sison has accumulated years of experience with UN peacekeeping and the UN entities, including her role as US Deputy Representative to the United Nations from 2014 to 2018, where she was responsible for building global coalitions aimed at countering transnational threats to peace and security while also advocating for a more effective, efficient, and accountable UN and multilateral system, according to the press release.
Ambassador Sison's work has bestowed her with numerous U.S. Department of State awards, including various Ambassadorial-level awards for her contributions to counter-proliferation and combatting trafficking in persons, while also holding the rank of career ambassador, which is considered the highest rank a person can hold in the U.S. Foreign Service, according to the press release.
