Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria was appointed in 2015, by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, as the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Ban Ki-moon’s Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority. Mr. Mladenov possesses extensive experience in public service and international affairs.  He served as the UN Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) from 2013 to 2015.  In his home country of Bulgaria, he served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2010 to 2013 and Minister of Defence from 2009 to 2010.  Previously, he was a Member of the European Parliament from 2007 to 2009 and a Member of the Parliament of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005.  Mr. Mladenov held several positions in the intergovernmental and non-governmental sectors, including at the World Bank and the European Institute. Mr. Mladenov earned a master’s of War Studies at King’s College London, in the United Kingdom, and both a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in international relations at the University of National and World Economy of Sofia, in Bulgaria.