The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday appointed Jean Njeri Kamau of Kenya as the UN resident coordinator (RC) in Guyana.
Her appointment is, however, pending approval of the Kenyan Government, starting on September 15.
The resident coordinator in the UN is a designated representative of the UN in the appointed country and reports directly to the Secretary-General Guterres.
Kenyan-born Jean Njeri Kamau will be the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system in Guyana, a country located in North East of South America.
Jean Njeri Kamau, the appointed UN resident coordinator in Guyana, on September 17, 2024.
Photo
Jean Njeri
Typically, resident coordinators lead UN country teams and coordinate UN support to countries in implementing the 2030 Agenda.
Njeri boasts more than two decades of experience in human rights, development, political governance, and institutional development.
She recently served as Kenya’s Ambassador to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union (AU).
Previously, she served as a diplomat in the Republic of South Africa, the Kingdom of Eswatini, the Kingdom of Lesotho, and Washington DC.
Later she joined the diplomatic service where she worked in multiple roles in the public sector and civil society.
Some of the notable roles she participated in include serving as a country director for Action Aid International in Kenya and Lesotho and as the first executive director for the Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in Kenya.
Jean Njeri holds a bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Nairobi (UoN) and a master’s degree in Democratic Studies from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
The appointment is a major boost to the Kenyan diplomatic relations with the UN and Guyana where she will serve as the UN resident coordinator.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
DW
