Fourth Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict

For the position of Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Secretary-General has appointed Virginia Gamba of Argentina.

Ms. Gamba brings more than 30 years of experience and professional leadership on issues relative to disarmament, peace and human security.

She served most recently as Assistant Secretary General, Head of the Joint Investigative Mechanism Syria (SC Res 2235 and 2319). She previously served as Deputy to the High Representative for Disarmament Affairs and Director of the Office for Disarmament Affairs.  Past engagements with the United Nations include serving as Director to the Disarmament and Conflict Resolution Programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in Geneva (1992-1996).

Ms. Gamba has a long career in peace and security, human security and disarmament issues. From 2007 to 2011 she served as Deputy Director and Senior Coordinator on Safety and Security at the Instituto Superior de Seguridad Publica, Ministry of Justice, Government of the Autonomous city of Buenos Aires.  From 1996 to 2006 she was based in Africa serving inter-alia as peace and security consultant to the Africa Union, Deputy Director of the Institute for Security Studies in South Africa and Director for South-South Interactions of Safer Africa. She was also the senior program officer for arms control, disarmament and demobilization at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation  in Chicago (1991-1993).

Prior to this she was an academic and a senior lecturer at the Latin American Security Studies, Department of War Studies, King’s College, London (1986-1991). Moreover, she also served as an advisor to the Argentine Ministry of Defense on Civil Military Relations and Transformation of the Military under Democracy (1983-1985).

Ms. Gamba holds an MSc (Econ) in Strategic Studies, University College of Wales, Aberyswyth and a B.A. (Hons) in Spanish and Latin American Studies, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Born in San Martin, province of Buenos Aires in 1954, Ms. Gamba is married and has one daughter.

Click to learn more about previous Special Representatives