The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has appointed Slovakian Jan Kubis to be his special envoy to Libya, the UN Secretary-General spokesman said in a statement on Monday, noting that he will take up his duties by early February.

The Slovakian diplomat will also lead the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) instead of Stephanie Williams, who has held the task on an acting basis since 2020.

"The Secretary-General is grateful for the commitment and outstanding leadership of Acting Special Representative Stephanie Williams of the United States in moving the political process forward in Libya," the UN spokesman said.

The UN lauded the high professionalism of its new envoy for the conflict in Libya, indicating that the experience that he has gained in this sphere enables him to assume this new task.

Kubis "brings with him many years of experience in diplomacy, foreign security policy, and international economic relations, both internationally and in his own country," the statement says.

Kubis has held several UN posts, the latest of which was the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. He also served as UN special representative in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Europe and was Slovakia's top envoy from 2006 to 2009.

On a related issue, Guterres commended the advisory committee of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) for its "constructive discussions" during its meeting in Geneva.

In a statement issued on behalf of Guterres, The UN head spokesman Stefan Dujarric praised the important role that the women participants and members of the committee from southern Libya played in reaching consensus on a proposed mechanism for selecting the executive authority, in accordance with the roadmap adopted in Tunisia last November.

The LPDF members called for constructive participation in voting on the selection mechanism and moving forward towards national elections on December 24, 2021.