Zewde makes history as first woman UN rep to African Union

Zewde makes history as first woman UN rep to African Union

Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia is the first woman to be appointed as UN Special Representative to the African Union.

A statement from UN Secretary-General António Guterres also said Zewde will be the head of the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) as Under-Secretary-General.

She takes over from Haile Menkerios of South Africa after her tenure as Director-General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON) ended.

“Ms. Zewde is expected to bring her well-honed skills and her knowledge of the organization to strengthen the partnership between the United Nations and the AU in the area of peace and security,” the statement reads.

She has also previously served as Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peace building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA).

Zewde was the Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the African Union as well as UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).

The envoy was also the Director-General for African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia in 2006.

Her vast experience also includes Ethiopian Ambassador to France, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as well as accreditation to Tunisia and Morocco (2002-2006).

From 1993 to 2002, she served as Ambassador to Djibouti and Permanent Representative to the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), and to Senegal.

This was also with accreditation to Mali, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Guinea  between 1989-1993.

Ms. Zewde is a Natural Sciences graduate of the University of Montpellier in France.

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