ISTANBUL

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has appointed Ibrahim Olabi as the country’s new permanent representative to the United Nations, succeeding Qusai al-Dhahhak, who had held the post since Dec. 20, 2023.

A Foreign Ministry statement said that Olabi was named “ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary and permanent representative of the Syrian Arab Republic to the United Nations in New York.”

Olabi, 34, was born in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he attended King Faisal Schools. He later moved to the UK, earning a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Manchester, followed by a master’s degree in international law and security at the same institution. He went on to complete a master’s in public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.

His achievements went beyond academic degrees. Olabi was named “Student of the Year” at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

He also received an academic excellence award from the late Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal.

Rights defender

Olabi began his career as a British-German lawyer specializing in international law and human rights.

He worked at a UK law firm, focusing on accountability for human rights violations in Syria under the former regime of Bashar al-Assad.

In 2013, he founded the Syrian Legal Development Program (SLDP), an initiative aimed at training and strengthening the capacity of Syrian organizations in the legal field. Through SLDP, he trained more than 550 activists in Syria and neighboring countries.

Olabi also served as a consultant with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and with the International Bar Association. He has spoken at high-level conferences in Geneva, Brussels, Washington, and London and delivered testimony at forums, including Chatham House and Amnesty International.

Last February, Syria’s Foreign Ministry appointed Olabi as special adviser on international legal affairs, a role he held until Tuesday’s appointment as ambassador.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Sharaa was formed in January.