UN Appoints Nigeria's Minister For Environment as UN Deputy Secretary
New UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday announced Nigeria’s Environment minister, Amina Mohammed as his Deputy Secretary-General.
Guterres made the announcement through the spokesman of the Secretary-General, Mr Stephane Dujarric.
The Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York, reports that Guterres also announced the duo of Ms. Maria Viotti of Brazil and Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea into high-profile positions at the UN.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be
appointing Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of
Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet.
“I also intend to create the position of Special Advisor on Policy, and to appoint Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea to this new
role.
“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights
and humanitarian action.
“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and
geographical diversity,” Guterres said.
Mohammed, the current Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, served as UN Under-Secretary- General and Special Adviser to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.
She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for
three successive administrations in Nigeria,
serving as Special Adviser on the Millennium
Development Goals.
She provided advice on issues including
poverty, public sector reform and sustainable
development, and coordinating poverty
reduction interventions.
She is also an Adjunct Professor in
Development Practice at Columbia University,
and serves on numerous international advisory
boards and panels, including the UN
Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on
Post-2015 Development Agenda.
Others include the Independent Expert
Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for
Sustainable Development, and the Global
Development Program of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.
She is also the UN Secretary-General’s Global
Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s
Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the
ActionAid International Right to Education
Project.
Born in 1961, and educated in Nigeria and the
UK, Mohammed is married and has six
children.
Guterres had hinted on Monday after he took
the oath of office that gender parity would be
top of his agenda as the UN scribe.
“I think that one very important element of the
agenda would be to give a clear signal that
gender parity is a must and so in the
appointments I will be making.
“And the first ones would be announced soon.
You’ll see that gender parity will become a
clear priority from top to bottom in the UN and
it will have to be respected by all.”
“This is a very ambitious agenda, an agenda
that must be for both woman and man, and
that is why parity is so important in our
reform perspectives.
“That is also why the empowerment of women
is so important in everything the UN will be
doing around the world,” the incoming UN
scribe said.
Guterres, succeeds outgoing secretary-general
Ban, who bows out on Dec. 31, 2016 after a
decade of two terms, while the new secretary-
general assumes office on Jan. 1, 2017, for the
next five years.
Guterres made the announcement through the spokesman of the Secretary-General, Mr Stephane Dujarric.
“I am pleased to announce that I will be
appointing Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of
Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet.
“I also intend to create the position of Special Advisor on Policy, and to appoint Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea to this new
role.
“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights
and humanitarian action.
“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and
geographical diversity,” Guterres said.
Mohammed, the current Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, served as UN Under-Secretary- General and Special Adviser to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.
She was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,
including the Sustainable Development Goals.
Before joining the UN, Mohammed worked for
three successive administrations in Nigeria,
serving as Special Adviser on the Millennium
Development Goals.
She provided advice on issues including
poverty, public sector reform and sustainable
development, and coordinating poverty
reduction interventions.
She is also an Adjunct Professor in
Development Practice at Columbia University,
and serves on numerous international advisory
boards and panels, including the UN
Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on
Post-2015 Development Agenda.
Others include the Independent Expert
Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for
Sustainable Development, and the Global
Development Program of the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation.
She is also the UN Secretary-General’s Global
Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s
Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the
ActionAid International Right to Education
Project.
Born in 1961, and educated in Nigeria and the
UK, Mohammed is married and has six
children.
Guterres had hinted on Monday after he took
the oath of office that gender parity would be
top of his agenda as the UN scribe.
“I think that one very important element of the
agenda would be to give a clear signal that
gender parity is a must and so in the
appointments I will be making.
“And the first ones would be announced soon.
You’ll see that gender parity will become a
clear priority from top to bottom in the UN and
it will have to be respected by all.”
“This is a very ambitious agenda, an agenda
that must be for both woman and man, and
that is why parity is so important in our
reform perspectives.
“That is also why the empowerment of women
is so important in everything the UN will be
doing around the world,” the incoming UN
scribe said.
Guterres, succeeds outgoing secretary-general
Ban, who bows out on Dec. 31, 2016 after a
decade of two terms, while the new secretary-
general assumes office on Jan. 1, 2017, for the
next five years.
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