The
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has reappointed Prof.
Babatunde Osotimehin as the Executive Director of the United Nations
Population Fund, UNFPA.
In a statement on the appointment, the
Secretary-General appreciated UNFPA’s progress in effective management
of most disadvantaged women and adolescent girls.
Reacting, the
one-time Director General of National Agency for the Control of AIDS
(NACA), described the re-appointment as an honour.
“It
has been an honour to lead this extraordinary organization over the
past four years, and I look forward to continuing our work together to
improve the lives of women and adolescent girls and ensure that every
pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person’s
potential is fulfilled,” he said.
He also assured the public of UNFPA’s readiness to take on other coming challenges.
“Despite
much progress in the 20 years since Cairo, we still have our work cut
out for us. Fortunately, we know what we need to do and where we need to
do it, and with our sharpened strategic focus, dedicated and skilled
staff, commitment to excellence and to results, UNFPA has never been
more ready to address the challenges ahead.”
Born 6 February, 1949, the Ogun State indigene was appointed head of the UN body on 19 November 2010, for a four-year term.
He
assumed the position on 1 January 2011 and became the organization’s
fourth Executive Director. His position places him on the rank of
Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Previously, he was
Nigeria’s Minister of Health. He left this office in March 2010 when
Acting President Goodluck Jonathan dissolved his cabinet.
Osotimehin,
who believes humility is the key to engaging people and facilitating
change, is married and has five children and three grandchildren.
No comments:
Post a Comment