Hans von Sponeck, had a distinguished UN career from 1968 to 2000, serving as UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Turkey and UN Resident Coordinator in Botswana, Pakistan, and India. His roles also included being the Director of the European Bureau of the UNDP in Geneva and the UN Assistant Secretary-General and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq. Post-retirement, he contributed to academia as a Faculty Member of the Centre for Conflict Research at the University of Marburg (Germany) from 2006 to 2019. Additionally, he served as a Consultant Trainer at the UN System Staff College in Torino (Italy) from 2006 to 2015. An accomplished author, von Sponeck’s notable work includes a multilingual monograph on Iraq, titled “A Different Kind of War – The UN Sanctions Regime in Iraq,” reflecting his lifelong dedication to global humanitarian efforts and scholarly pursuits.