ABOUT US
Who we are
The EU Delegation to the United Nations Office in Geneva will continue to support the UN as an indispensable forum for multilateral solutions to global challenges, and will continue to demonstrate global leadership, with a view to promoting a safer and better world for all. We focus on key priorities such as human rights and gender equality, promoting peace and security, building a fair globalisation, accelerating the global transition towards sustainable and climate-neutral future, and leading the transition to a new digital world. Preserving the humanitarian space and ensuring respect for international humanitarian law and humanitarian principles will remain equally important for the EU.
About our Head of Delegation and Deputy Head of Delegation:
Ambassador Deike Potzel took up her duty as Head of the European Union Delegation to the United Nations in Geneva in September 2025. She is a career diplomat with the German Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA), where she held senior positions within the German MFA, including Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues, Director-General for Crisis Prevention, Stabilisation, Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Assistance, Inspector General, and Deputy Director-General for Human Resources. From 2017 to 2021, she represented Germany as Ambassador to Ireland. Earlier in her career, she held diplomatic postings at the German embassies in Iran and Singapore, and worked on topics including EU Enlargement, Iran, and the Gulf countries.
Ambassador Michele Cervone d'Urso took up the post of Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations and other organisations in November 2024. He is a career EU diplomat from the European External Action Service, where he has served in various capacities, including as EU Ambassador for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar from 2016 to 2020; EU Special Envoy and Ambassador for Somalia and been extensively involved on Somalia's political transition from 2012 to 2016 and Ambassador for Yemen between 2008 to 2012 as the first European Union Ambassador to Yemen, where he was significantly engaged in the political settlement in Yemen, having his role recognised with the award of the “unity” medal. He previously held positions at the European Commission on Africa and supporting countries crisis response and recovery and served at the EU Delegation in Namibia. Immediately before joining the EU Delegation to the UN and other international organisations, he was Head for International Cooperation and Financing Instruments at the European External Action Service leading the team that has the strategic oversight over EU cooperation with partner countries and the response to global challenges.
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EU's renewed multilateralism fit for the 21st century
What we do
The EU Delegation to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneve - EU's renewed multilateralism fit for the 21st century
The Delegation is part of the network of 145 EU Delegations world-wide, carrying out the EU's foreign policy and providing support to Ms Kaja Kallas, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Since January 2011, the EU has two fold representation in Geneva: The Permanent Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations Office and to other international organisations in Geneva and the Permanent Mission of the European Union to the World Trade Organisation. In addition, the bilateral relations with Switzerland are covered by the EU Delegation in Berne.
The EU Delegation to the UN in Geneva pursues the following main tasks:
- To promote EU actions, policies and interests in all UN bodies and other International Organisations.
- To ensure the representation of the European Union and its active participation in the UN and its related bodies or specialised agencies established in Geneva - in particular the Human Rights Council, OHCHR, OCHA, UNHCR, UNCTAD, WHO, ILO, WIPO, UNECE, IOM and, as far as possible, ITU, WMO -, as well as in disarmament and non-proliferation related matters and with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
- To foster EU co-ordination and common EU positions in these fora and promote co-operation with Member States in the UN framework.
- To enhance visibility and understanding of the European Union role and policies in the many areas related to the UN bodies and other International Organisations in Geneva.
OUR TEAM
Office of Head of Delegation
Deike Potzel
Head of Delegation
Michele Cervone d'Urso
Deputy Head of Delegation
Emma Tunney
Assistant to Head of Delegation
Gaëtane Spatz
Assistant to Deputy Head of Delegation
Benoit Chapas
Counsellor & Political Coordinator
Mattia Toaldo
Political Affairs Advisor
Antje Knorr
Head of Communications
Marta Fernandez Maeso
Communications Assistant
Humanitarian Affairs & Migration
Predrag Avramović
Head of Section / OCHA
Jana Micova
Deputy Head of Section / ICRC
Kamil Valica
Migration / IOM, IGC
Ewa Majkut
UNHCR
Suzana Simichen Sopta
Migration / IOM, PDD, UNDRR
Rita Leal Silva
IFRC
Marta Fernandez Maeso
Assistant
Human Rights
Friederike Tschampa
Head of Section
Thiseas Poullos
Deputy Head of Section
Pierre Minard
Nanna Andersen
Katarina Tapio
Dilarde Teilane
Luca Lixi
Mari Lahdensuu
Assistant
Health & Social
Gaivile Stankeviciene
Head of Section
Americo Beviglia Zampetti
Health
Henriette Brent-Petersen
Health
Martin Widstam
Health
Romann Datus
Health
Kamil Valica
Social & Labour/ILO
Svenja Fohgrub
Social & Labour/ILO
Yolanda Maldonado Torres
Assistant
Economic, Development, Environment & Digital
Damyana Stoynova
Head of Section
Leonor Vieira Sousa
Trade & Development / UNCTAD
Thomas Spoormans
UNECE
Oscar Mondejar
Intellectual Property/WIPO
Iciar Chavarri-Ureta
Environment & Climate
Yolanda Maldonado Torres
Assistant
Disarmament
Klemen Polak
Head of Section
Igor Kucer
Natalia Królak
Yolanda Maldonado Torres
Assistant
Administration
Michele Lombardini
Head of Administration
