Executive Director of CTED
Ms. Natalia Gherman is Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).
Prior to her appointment as Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, Ms. Gherman served as the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia since 2017. She brings 30 years of experience in senior leadership and consensus building, consolidating trust and mutual understanding between States, including through the convening of dialogue platforms between Governments, Parliaments, civil society, the private sector and international partners in a multicultural environment. She is an expert in regional and global security affairs, promoting peace through justice, sustainable development and rule of law, while implementing programmatic activities to prevent and counter the threats of international terrorism and extremism, organized crime and environmental degradation.
Ms. Gherman held various high-level governmental positions, including as Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova from 2013 to 2016 while concurrently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Prime Minister in 2015. She was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration from 2009 to 2013 while also serving as Chief Negotiator on behalf of the Republic of Moldova for the Association Agreement with the European Union. Ms. Gherman served as Ambassador to Austria and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Agencies in Vienna and to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from 2002 to 2006 and established the diplomatic presence of her country in the Nordic region, having served as first resident Moldovan Ambassador to Sweden, Norway and Finland from 2006 to 2009. She was Deputy Head of the Mission of the Republic of Moldova in Brussels from 2001 to 2002.
Ms. Gherman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of the Republic of Moldova and Master of Arts in War Studies from King’s College, University of London, and speaks Romanian, English, Russian, French and German.