United Nations Secretary-General, Mr. Ban Ki-moon, has appointed Mrs Amina Az-Zubair a former Senior Special Assistant to President Jonathan on MDGs, as his Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning, and Parfait Onanga-Anyanga of Gabon as his Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office in Burundi (BNUB).
Mrs Az-Zubair brings to the position over 30 years of experience as a development practitioner in the public and private sectors as well as civil society, according to a statement issued by Mr. Ban’s spokesperson.
The Special Adviser is currently the Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Centre for Development Policy Solutions, a think-tank focussed on addressing policy and knowledge gaps within the government, parliament and private sector in development and civil society for robust advocacy materials.
She is also an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, New York, and her past experience which, includes serving as the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
In addition, she currently serves on numerous international advisory panels and boards, including the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Secretary General’s Global Sustainability Panel.
In relation to Burundi appointment, Mr. Ban’s spokesperson said that Mr. Onanga-Anyanga will replace Ms. Karin Landgren of Sweden, who has recently been appointed the Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Liberia, and he brings to the position many years of experience at the United Nations.