She was elected unanimously by delegates from the Member States of the United Nations on Monday at the United Nations Office at Nairobi.
“I would like to stress my deepest appreciation to all the Member States that have bestowed this honour on my country, Mexico, by electing me as President. I can assure you I will do my best,” She said upon being chosen.
A total of 113 countries sent representatives to the opening of the UN-Habitat Assembly, over half of them at Minister or Deputy Minister level. In addition, there were over 60 Mayors among the 2,250 delegates who attended on Monday.
Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, formally opened the first UN-Habitat Assembly and emphasized the need for collective international action to address the challenges of rapid urbanization saying many societies were ill-prepared to plan properly.
President Kenyatta said that given the challenges, the overall theme of the Assembly namely “Innovation for a Better Quality of Life in Cities and Communities” was fitting and timely.
He will return on Wednesday and take part in a High-Level Strategic Dialogue with other Heads of State and Government, including the President of South Sudan and the Prime Ministers of Fiji and Yemen.
The UN-Habitat Assembly will adopt global norms and policies that will guide how cities and communities are planned, managed and governed.