UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed happiness in the appointment of Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Ms Amina Mohammed, as UN Deputy Secretary-General.
Guterres also lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s generosity in releasing Mohammed to serve in the global capacity, according to his remarks to the AU Summit obtained by correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The UN chief described Mohammed as an accomplished leader in international development who would contribute immensely to the management of the UN.
He said “I am proud to have selected Ms Amina Mohammed of Nigeria as Deputy Secretary-General.
“She is an accomplished leader in international development and will give an extremely important contribution to the management of the UN Secretariat.
“I sincerely thank President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria for his generosity in availing her to serve in this important global role.”
Guterres, who assumed office on Jan. 1, 2017, announced Mohammed’s appointment on Dec. 25, 2016, alongside two others.
He said “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 am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I chose for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action.”
He said the appointments were the foundations of his team, which would continue to build and respect his pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity.
Guterres said Mohammed was, however, expected to assume her new role in March 2017.
Responding, Mohammed said she was humbled by the opportunity and responsibility to serve as the next UN Deputy Secretary-General.
She said “I am most grateful for the confidence and trust demonstrated by the UN
Secretary-General António Guterres and President Muhammadu Buhari.
“As directed by Mr President, I will continue in the meantime to lay strong foundations with various important ongoing initiatives critical to Nigeria’s government success in the environment sector.”
Prior to her appointment by Buhari as environment minister, Mohammed served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Born on June 27, 1961, the new UN Deputy Secretary-General from Gombe State 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, where she served 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 served many international advisory boards and panels, including the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda.
Mohammed also served on the Independent Expert Advisory Group on Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, and the Global Development Programme 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. (NAN)