BEIRUT: The U.N. Wednesday named Denmark’s Pernille Dahler Kardel as the new Special Coordinator for Lebanon, replacing Sigrid Kaag who left last month to take up the post as the new Dutch foreign minister.

A statement from the U.N. reported that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Kardel as the acting Special Coordinator for Lebanon. Kardel has over 25-years experience in diplomacy, having worked in Afghanistan, Egypt and across Africa.

Since Kaag left the post on Oct. 26 after two years, Deputy U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Philippe Lazzarini has been standing in.

Kardel has served as deputy head of the U.N. mission to Afghanistan and was Denmark's ambassador to Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Djibouti as well as her country's representative to the African Union and other regional African groups, the statement said.

She has held several positions with Denmark’s Foreign Ministry as well, ranging from Counsellor with the Permanent Mission to the United Nations to Deputy Head of Mission in Moscow and Second Secretary in New Delhi, India. She also served as the Head of the Asia Department in the ministry.

Kardel holds two master degrees, one in international public policy from Johns Hopkins University in the United States, and one in interdisciplinary planning from Roskilde University in Denmark.