UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, on Monday, January 10, 2022, formalised his prior announcement that Ms Amina Mohammed of Nigeria will continue in her role as Deputy Secretary-General during his second term for another five years.
In delegating development coordination to Mohammed, the secretary-general set in motion the most ambitious reform in the history of the UN development system.
Guterres, on June 18, 2021, took the oath of office for his second term five-year term as Secretary-General of the UN, pledging as his priority, to continue helping the world chart a course out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After he took his oath of office, Guterres announced that Mohammed would continue to serve with him for a second term that runs from January 2022 to December 2026.
Mohammed’s leadership helped advance the conceptual shift from the UN that Member States called for in adopting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Over the last five years, the UN Sustainable Development Group was strengthened to enhance global leadership and oversight for development and the UN established a strengthened UN Resident Coordinator system as the foundation of a more effective development system.
Guterres expressed his appreciation for the Deputy Secretary-General’s leadership of the UN Sustainable Development Group and her determination to reinforce collective results and maximise the impact of the UN development’s system on the ground.
Prior to first assuming her role as Deputy Secretary-General in January 2017, Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Special Adviser to Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Before joining the UN, she worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving 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.
By Cecilia Ologunagba
