Statement from UN Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin on Secretary-General-Designate’s Appointments for Deputy Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet, and Special Advisor on Policy

United Nations Foundation President & CEO Kathy Calvin issued the following statement today following the announcement by UN Secretary-General-designate Antόnio Guterres on three senior appointments to his office. In the announcement Mr. Guterres announced Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as the next Deputy Secretary-General, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as Chef de Cabinet, and Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea as the newly created post of Special Advisor on Policy.

“The Deputy Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet, and Special Advisor are crucial first appointments that can serve as the foundation of the Secretary-General-designate’s team, and each bring incredibly distinguished careers with them to their new roles.

“Amina Mohammed is the perfect choice for the important role of UN Deputy Secretary-General. Throughout her career, Amina has demonstrated a remarkable ability to build support across multiple partners for progress on challenging issues. In her two most recent positions – as Nigeria’s Minister of Environment and as the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General leading post-2015 development planning – her leadership has helped advance some of the top priorities shaping the work of the UN in the years ahead. She understands the challenges ahead include both country implementation and citizen engagement.

“Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti brings considerable international experience from being a career diplomat and her current role as the Under-Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which will serve her well as Chef de Cabinet.

“As the current head of the Secretary-General-designate’s transition team, Kyung-wha Kang also brings years of humanitarian and human rights experience as the previous Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“Their breadth of experience on important global issues will serve us in the years ahead. We look forward to working with these three dynamic women as they assume their roles to help advance the pillars and priorities of the UN and build the momentum for progress on peace and security, human rights, climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals.”