United Nations- The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Thursday announced the appointment of Ms Bintou Keita of Guinea as Ebola Crisis Manager for Sierra Leone for the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).
A statement issued by Ki-Moon’s Spokesman said, in her role as Ebola Crisis Manager, Keita would work with the host government and key stakeholders to ensure rapid and effective international emergency response to Ebola continued in Sierra Leone.
It stated that Keita succeeded Mr Amadu Kamara of the United States, who would return to the United Nations Support Office for the African Union Mission in Somalia.
The Secretary-General expressed his gratitude to Kamara for his exceptional work in Sierra Leone and his commitment and dedication to fighting the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
It stated that Keita brought to the position a wealth of experience with more than 25 years of service in the United Nations including her most recent work as the Chief of Staff for UNMEER.
Before her appointment, Keita served extensively in various senior management and leadership functions with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Chad, Congo, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Rwanda, Burundi and New York.
She also served as Deputy Executive Representative of the Secretary General for the United Nations Integrated Office in Burundi (BINUB).
She has also worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Guinea.
Keita holds a Master’s Degree in Social Economy from the University of Paris II, Assas France and a Post Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from the University of Paris IX, Dauphine France.
Ban also announced the appointment of Mr Nickolay Mladenov of Bulgaria as his Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and his Personal Representative to the Palestine Liberation Organisation and the Palestinian Authority.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
The statement said in this capacity, Mladenov woul be the Envoy of the Secretary-General to the Quartet.
It added that Mladenov succeeded Robert Serry of the Netherlands to whom the Secretary-General was grateful for his dedicated service and excellent leadership.
He headed the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO).
Mladenov brings with him extensive experience in public service and international affairs.
He is currently Special Representative for Iraq and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).
He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria (2010-2013) and Minister of Defence of Bulgaria (2009-2010).
Previously, he was a Member of the European Parliament (2007-2009) and a Member of the Parliament of Bulgaria (2001-2005).
It added that Mladenov held several positions in the inter-governmental and non-governmental sectors, including at the World Bank and the European Institute.
He holds a Master of Arts in War Studies at King’s College London in the United Kingdom and both a master’s and a bachelor’s degrees in International Relations at the University of National and World Economy of Sofia in Bulgaria.(NAN)
