United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Amakobe Sande of Kenya as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Eritrea, with the host Government’s approval.
Sande has over 25 years’ experience in international cooperation, development coordination, strategic management, peacebuilding and humanitarian affairs.
She has held leadership positions at the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), and recently appointed Country Director and Representative in China. She also served as Senior Gender Equality Adviser and Team Leader for Country Support in the UNAIDS Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, as well as UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Lesotho and Country Director in Malawi and Uganda.
Before now, Sande held senior positions with international non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam, where she served as Regional Manager for Southern Africa, Regional Manager for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Deputy Country Representative in Rwanda, and Country Director in Zambia. She was also the Director for the Southern Africa Partnership programme of ActionAid International.
Sande holds a bachelor’s degree, with honours, in international relations and a master’s degree in development studies.
The United Nations recently made appointments, among which is the re-appointment of Nigeria’s Amina Mohammed as its Deputy Secretary-General.