United States special envoys or special representatives are senior officials of the U.S. Department of State representing the federal government of the United States. In contrast to U.S. ambassadors who are assigned to lead a diplomatic mission overseas and are responsible for the United States' bilateral relations with a specific country, a special envoy is assigned a specific portfolio or broader issue. These officials will typically report directly to the U.S. secretary of state and hold the rank of ambassador. On occasion, the president of the United States will appoint a special presidential envoy who would be a White House official, rather than a State Department official. Many special envoys do not require United States Senate confirmation.
Many special envoy positions and offices are created and staffed by the direction of the president and the secretary, whose political or organizational management philosophies may not be shared by their successors. As such, many of these positions may go unfilled upon assumption of office by successor presidential administrations, with their offices sometimes merged with or subsumed into other offices, or abolished altogether.
History According to the Congressional Research Service, President George Washington set the precedent for making special, temporary diplomatic appointments in 1789 when he named Gouverneur Morris as a private agent to establish normal diplomatic relations with British officials. As the United States grew as a global superpower, the number of these temporary special appointments grew, particularly in the 20th century and 21st century.
List of current U.S. special envoys, representatives, coordinators, and advisors
PositionOfficeholderAppointedU.S. Senior Advisor for AfricaUnited States Special Envoy for American LandownersU.S. Special Presential Envoy for American Tourism, Exceptionalism, and ValuesU.S. Senior Official for APECU.S. Special Envoy for the Arctic2026Senior Advisor for AUKUSU.S. Special Envoy for Best Future GenerationsVacant since May 22, 2026U.S. Special Representative for the Biological Weapons ConventionChina CoordinatorSenior Coordinator for Security InfrastructureSpecial Presidential Envoy for Global PartnershipsU.S. Special Envoy to GreenlandU.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust IssuesU.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage AffairsVacant since January 20, 2025U.S. Special Envoy for Latin AmericaU.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat AntisemitismU.S. Special Envoy to the Middle EastU.S. Special Envoy for the Shield of the AmericasU.S. Special Envoy for UkraineU.S. Special Envoy for Peace MissionsSteve WitkoffJared Kushner (Witkoff) (Kushner)U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Special MissionsU.S. Special Envoy for SyriaCoordinator for U.S. Assistance to Europe and Eurasia (acting)U.S. Special Envoy to the United Kingdom
List of former positions United States Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons U.S. Special Envoy for Afghan, Women, Girls, and Human Rights United States Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Senior Coordinator for Atlantic Cooperation U.S. Special Envoy for Biodiversity and Water Resources U.S. Special Representative for City and State Diplomacy U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate U.S. Special Envoy to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change U.S. Special Envoy for the Closure of the Guantanmo Detention Facility U.S. Special Envoy for the Colombian Peace Process U.S. Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Compact Negotiations U.S. Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technology U.S. Special Envoy for Digital Freedom U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Coordinator for Anti-corruption U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Coordinator for Global Democratic Renewal U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator of the Global Engagement Center United States Special Envoy for Eurasian Energy U.S. Special Envoy for Global Food Security U.S. Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues United States Special Envoy for Haiti Coordinator of the Health Incident Response Task Force U.S. Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa U.S. Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs U.S. Special Representative for International Labor Affairs U.S. Special Envoy for Iran U.S. Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority U.S. Special Envoy for Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations Senior Coordinator for Lawful Migration U.S. Special Envoy for Libya U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues U.S. Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland U.S. Special Envoy for the Northern Triangle of Central America U.S. Special Representative for Nuclear Nonproliferation U.S. Special Envoy to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Special Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Investment U.S. Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice U.S. Special Envoy for the Sahel Region of Africa U.S. Special Envoy for Six-Party Talks U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Special Coordinator for Tibetan Issues U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine's Economic Recovery U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela U.S. Special Representative for the Western Balkans U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen
See also Ambassadors of the United States Ambassador-at-large United States Assistant Secretary of State List of positions filled by presidential appointment with Senate confirmation
References