Appointments

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa as Executive Director of UN Women for a further term of four years. Before her role at UN-Women, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka worked with women and girls within civil society, as well as focused on political and economic rights and girls’ education.  She was the first female deputy president of South Africa and had earlier served as a cabinet minister.

Masimba Tafirenyika of Zimbabwe has been appointed as director of the United Nations Information Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.  He most recently served as Chief of the Africa Section in the UN Department of Public Information and Editor-in-Chief of its Africa Renewal magazine.

David McLachlan-Karr of Australia has been appointed as deputy special representative of the secretary-general in Guinea-Bissau.  He most recently served as UN resident coordinator, humanitarian coordinator and UNDP resident representative in Jordan. Mr. McLachlan-Karr succeeds Maria do Valle Ribeiro of Ireland.

Mukhisa Kituyi of Kenya has been appointed as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for a further term of four years. Mr. Kituyi served an initial four-year term as UNCTAD’s seventh secretary-general. He has an extensive background as an elected official, an academic, coupled with wide-ranging experience in trade negotiations, and in African and broader international economics and diplomacy.

Pramila Patten of Mauritius has been appointed as special representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict.  She most recently served as a barrister-at-law and since 2003, as a member of the committee on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.  Ms. Patten succeeds Zainab Hawa Bangura of Sierra Leone.

Lieutenant-General Frank Mushyo Kamanzi of Rwanda has been appointed as force commander of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). He most recently served as force commander of the African Union-United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).