Riyad H. Mansour (born 21 May 1947) is a Palestinian-American diplomat and since 2005 has been the Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations.[1] Previous to Mansour's appointment to Permanent Observer, Mansour served as the Deputy Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations from 1983 to 1994.[1] In 2005, President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas appointed him to succeed Nasser al-Qudwa as Permanent Observer for Palestine to the UN.[2] Under Mansour, the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations changed from being an "entity" to being a "non-Member Observer State" on 29 November 2012.[3][4][5]
Riyad Mansour
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| 3rd Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| Assumed office 17 September 2005 | |
| President | Mahmoud Abbas |
| Preceded by | Nasser al-Qudwa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1947-05-21) 21 May 1947 (age 77) Ramallah, Mandatory Palestine |
| Alma mater | Youngstown State University University of Akron |
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Mansour's father moved to the United States in the 1950s as a refugee and became a steelworker in Ohio. He later sent for his seven children from the West Bank, including Riyad,[6] who was born on 21 May 1947. The refugee family lived in Ramallah, Occupied West Bank.[7] He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy and a Master of Science degree in education counselling from Youngstown State University, and a Ph.D in counselling from the University of Akron.[7] In 2002, Mansour served as an adjunct professor in the Political Science Department at the University of Central Florida.[7]
