The incoming Secretary-General of the UN, Mr. Antonio Guterres, has appointed Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as his deputy. She will hold the second highest position in the Organization from 1st January 2017. She will hold the second highest position in the Organization from 1st January 2017.

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is currently Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where she steers the country’s efforts to protect the natural environment and conserve resources for sustainable development. Prior to this role, she served as Special Adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning, where she was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

Before joining the UN, Ms. Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals, providing advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating poverty reduction interventions.

She is also an Adjunct Professor in Development Practice at Columbia University, and serves on numerous international advisory boards and panels, including the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the ActionAid International Right to Education Project.

Born in 1961, and educated Nigeria and the UK, Ms. Mohammed is married with six children.

Credit: UN