Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed reappointed UN deputy secretary-general

Antonio Guterres commended Ms Mohammed’s “strong emphasis on coherence across humanitarian, political and development action.”

This is contained in a statement made available to Peoples Gazette. The statement was released on Monday from the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

“Ms Mohammed’s leadership helped advance the conceptual shift from the UN that Member States called for in adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” the statement said.

Ms Mohammed will run a second term of five years, this started on January 1.

In the statement, Mr Guteress expressed his appreciation for the leadership of the UN Sustainable Development Group and Ms Mohammed’s determination to reinforce collective results and maximize the impact of the UN development’s system on the ground.

“From our robust response to the socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 crisis; through a boost in climate action and unprecedented momentum for Financing for Development; to her strong emphasis on coherence across humanitarian, political and development action – her role was instrumental in keeping the SDGs alive at country level and protecting the Paris Agreement, despite significant headwinds,” Mr Guterres said.

Before her initial appointment as Deputy Secretary-General in January 2017, Ms Mohammed was Nigeria’s Minister of Environment and had also served as a special adviser to then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.

Ms Mohammed had also served as Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals, providing advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.