UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Thursday, January 7, 2021 appointed Abdoulaye Dieye of Senegal as the Special Coordinator for development in the Sahel.
Dieye is a macroeconomist and development expert with strong leadership experience in managing complex development portfolios over the last 35 years, said Guterres’ press office.
The special coordinator will lead collective efforts, including financing, to implement the UN integrated strategy for the Sahel and its support plan for a scaled-up UN development responsibility for the Sahel, a region plagued by terrorism, armed insurgency and a climate crisis.
Dieye is currently the special adviser to the administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
He has held several positions in the UNDP, including as assistant administrator since 2006.
Prior to that, he served as deputy special representative for the UN Operations in Cote d’Ivoire and resident and humanitarian coordinator/UNDP resident representative in Abidjan.
Before joining the UN, Dieye held several senior positions within the government of Senegal.
