Nickolay Mladenov

Nickolay Mladenov is the director general of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), where he leads the institution’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of Emirati diplomats and position AGDA as a leader in foreign policy research and mediation.

A seasoned diplomat and global affairs strategist, Mladenov has held some of the most sensitive and impactful roles in the UN. From 2015 to 2020, he served as the UN Secretary-General’s special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and envoy to the Middle East Quartet, championing preventive diplomacy and de-escalation, supporting Arab-Israeli normalization, advocating for humanitarian access in Gaza, and leading the Quartet’s policy framework to preserve the viability of a two-state solution. During a pivotal period from 2013 to 2015, he served as the UN Special Representative for Iraq and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, facilitating the formation of a national unity government and helping broker oil revenue-sharing agreements between Baghdad and Erbil.

Mladenov has also held top ministerial positions in the Bulgarian government, including Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of Defense. He was a Member of the European Parliament, where he worked on defense transparency, consumer protection, and internal market reform. In 1999, he founded the European Institute in Sofia, a leading think tank focused on EU integration and policy. His work on diplomacy and peace earned him the Grand Star of the Order of Jerusalem by President Mahmoud Abbas in 2021. He holds a Master of Arts in War Studies from King’s College London and a degree in International Relations from the University of National and World Economy in Sofia.