UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday appointed Noeleen Heyzer of Singapore as his new special envoy on Myanmar, his press office announced.

Heyzer succeeds Christine Schraner Burgener of Switzerland.

Heyzer is a member of the UN Secretary-General's High-Level Advisory Board on Mediation. She was the first woman to serve as executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific from 2007 to 2014.

She was the UN secretary-general's special adviser for Timor-Leste from 2013 to 2015. From 2008 to 2009, she worked closely with ASEAN, the government of Myanmar and the United Nations in the recovery efforts following Cyclone Nargis and led a dialogue with Myanmar leaders on development and poverty reduction.