The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, has formalised his prior announcement that Amina Mohammed of Nigeria will continue in her role as deputy secretary-general during his second term.

The UN said in a statement that in delegating development coordination to the deputy secretary-general, Guterres set in motion the most ambitious reform in the history of the organisation’s development system.

It noted that Mohammed’s leadership helped advance the conceptual shift from the UN that member states called for in adopting the Sustainable Development Goals.

“Over the last five years, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group was strengthened to enhance global leadership and oversight for development and the United Nations established a strengthened United Nations Resident Coordinator system as the foundation of a more effective development system,” it said.

The secretary-general expressed his appreciation for Mohammed’s leadership of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group and her determination to reinforce collective results and maximise the impact of the UN development system on the ground.

“From our robust response to the socioeconomic effects of the Covid-19 crisis, through a boost in climate action and unprecedented momentum for financing for development, to her strong emphasis on coherence across humanitarian, political and development action, her role was instrumental in keeping the Sustainable Development Goals alive at the country level and protecting the Paris Agreement on climate change, despite significant headwinds,” he said.

According to the statement, prior to first assuming her role as deputy secretary-general in January 2017, Mohammed served as Minister for Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Special Adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post‑2015 Development Planning.

It noted that 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.

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