Kenyan woman to head UN agency

Sanda Ojiambo has been appointed as Executive Director of the United Nations Global Compact.

Her appointment was made official on May 22, by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

The announcement published in the UN agency's website notes that she is the second woman to take up the role. The first is her Danish predecessor, Lise Kingo from whom she takes over on June 16, 2020.

As the head of the UN Global Compact, Ms Ojiambo will steer "a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders and bring the full weight of the private sector to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Ms Ojiambo describes herself in her LinkedIn profile as an economist and public policy analyst with more than 20 years of multi-sectorial policy and development work in non-governmental organisations, UN and corporate sector working extensively around sub Saharan Africa.

She is hitherto head of sustainable business and social impact at Safaricom, a position she has held since October 2008.

Prior to joining Safaricom, Ms Ojiambo worked as director of programs at International Planned Parenthood Federation - Africa Regional Office

She holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota, USA, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and International Development from McGill University, Canada.

Ms Kingo who announced her departure late last year having served for five years, expressed her pleasure in the appointment.

STRONG WOMAN

 “I am happy to hand over the baton to such a strong woman leader from the Global South to take the UN Global Compact into its next chapter," she is quoted in the appointment's announcement on the UN agency's website.

“I have immense confidence that Sanda’s global experience, deep integrity, and inspiring vision will advance the impact of the UN Global Compact and accelerate our efforts to mobilise a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to create the world we want,” she added.

Ms Kingo will handover on June 16, during a 26-hour virtual UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit, marking 20 years of uniting business for a better world. 

United Nations Global Compact is a special initiative of the UN Secretary-General launched in 2000.

Its mandate is to guide and support the global business community of more than 10,000 companies and 3,000 non-business signatories based in over 160 countries and more than 60 local networks;in advancing UN goals and values through responsible corporate practices.