The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has said his deputy, Amina Mohammed, got another five year term her effective leadership so far in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and protecting the Paris Agreement for climate action.
The UN chief confirmed her reappointment for a second term in a statement on Monday, adding that she is instrumental in keeping the SDGs alive at country level and protecting the Paris Agreement, despite significant headwinds.”.
The statement said in delegating the role of coordinating the UN’s development work to his deputy, set in motion, “the most ambitious reform in the history of the UN development system.”
Conceptual shift
“Ms. Mohammed’s leadership helped advance the conceptual shift from the UN that Member States called for in adopting the SDGs,” and during last five years, the UN Sustainable Development Group was strengthened to enhance global leadership and development oversight.
“Furthermore, the UN has established a strengthened UN Resident Coordinator system as the foundation of a more effective way of promoting sustainable development worldwide,” the statement said.
Ms. Mohammed’s leadership helped advance the conceptual shift from the UN that Member States called for in adopting the SDGs, and during last five years, the UN Sustainable Development Group was strengthened to enhance global leadership and development oversight.
Maximizing the impact
Guterres expressed his appreciation for Mohammed’s leadership of the Group, “and her determination to reinforce collective results and maximize the impact of the UN development’s system on the ground.”
The statement said from the UN’s “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,” Mohammed has kept “strong emphasis on coherence across humanitarian, political and development action.”
Taking a lead
Prior to first taking on the mantle of Deputy Secretary-General in January 2017, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment for Nigeria and Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, on Post-2015 Development Planning.
Before joining the UN, said the statement, 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.