Ambassador for Migrants with William Lacy Swing

The Global Cable

On this episode of The Global Cable, we sit down with Ambassador William Lacy Swing, who has served as an American and United Nations diplomat for half a century. He was Ambassador to six countries under four U.S. presidents, serving in countries such as Nigeria, South Africa, and Haiti.

After retiring from the State Department in 2001, Swing worked in diplomacy and peacekeeping for the United Nations. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he headed the largest peacekeeping operation in the UN’s history. Swing then went on to serve as Director General of the International Organization for Migration, expanding its membership and overseeing its transition to becoming a UN agency in 2016.

In conversation with our host John Gans, Swing talks about how diplomacy and diplomats have changed since he joined the Foreign Service in 1963, why he believes there is a ‘perfect storm’ around the issue of migration, and what it was like to meet Nelson Mandela.

Music & Produced by Tre Hester.