UN Secretary-General-designate António Guterres, has appointed Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, as Deputy Secretary-General, replacing Jan Eliasson of Sweden, it was officially announced Thursday.
The incoming secretary-general also appointed Brazilian diplomat, Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, as his Chef de Cabinet.
Before her appointment as environment minister a year ago, Ms. Mohammed was outgoing U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s special adviser on post-2015 development planning – a role that culminated last year with the adoption by the General Assembly of sustainable development goals for the next 15 years.
“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,” Guterres said in a statement announcing the appointments.
“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,” he said.
“These appointments are the foundations of my team, which I will continue to build, respecting my pledges on gender parity and geographical diversity.”
Guterres, a former Portuguese prime minister and Un high commissioner for refugees, succeeds Ban on Jan. 1.
