Kenya's Foreign Affairs Secretary appointed UN advisor

Kenya’s Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary has added another feather on her already full and colourful hat.

Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril has been appointed as one of the advisors to United Nations General Assembly President Miroslav Lajčák.

Amina was jubilant about the appointment and warmly welcomed the news saying it proves Kenya’s commitment to progressing universally binding values that are enshrined in the United Nations charter.

“This appointment is therefore an honour to our people whose commitment and respect for these values guides our mandate in the public service,” she said in a statement Tuesday.

Amina together with 15 other eminent personalities drawn from all United Nations regional groups will be tasked with advising Mr. Miroslav on how best to advance his priorities for the General Assembly’s 72nd session.

Those priorities include mediation, conflict prevention and sustaining peace; migration; implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement on climate change; human rights and human dignity; and the future and reform of the United Nations.

Also read: 4 KENYAN WOMEN WITH IMMENSE TALENT WHO ARE LIFTING THE KENYAN FLAG HIGH ON THE GLOBAL ARENA

In Africa, only two eminent personalities featured on the list which is not yet final and may be expanded at a later date.

Amina and Carlos Lopes, former Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa from Guinea-Bissau made the cut.

The first meeting of the Team of External Advisors is expected to take place in New York on 6 October.

Previously, Amina has served as the president of the United Nations Conference on Transnational Crime in Vienna, assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the UNEP, first female chairperson of the International Organization for Migration among other exemplary roles.

In 2005, she became the first woman to chair the WTO's General Council.

Amina’s appointment comes on the backdrop of another significant global appointment conferred to another Kenyan Cabinet Secretary just a few weeks ago.

Tourism CS Najib Balala was last month elected chair of the UN World Tourism Organisation Commission for Africa in Chengdu, China.