Deborah Lyons


Deborah Lyons was Canada's ambassador to Israel. Before that she was Canada's ambassador to Afghanistan. She was the head of mission at the Embassy of Canada, Kabul. She was the only female ambassador in Kabul. On July 19, 2016, she was appointed Canadian ambassador to Israel. She helped unveil a monument for guards at her embassy who were killed during the Kabul attack on Canadian Embassy guards.
On March 24, 2020, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Lyons as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, replacing Tadamichi Yamamoto.
Lyons earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Brunswick and completed studies at the Canadian National Defence College.