UN appoints Deputy Special Representative, Resident, and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, appointed Khardiata Lo N’Diaye of Senegal as Deputy Special Representative, Resident, and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan yesterday.

Guterres announced the appointment of Lo N’Diaye as the new Deputy Special Representative for Sudan with the new UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS), serving also as the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator.

Lo N’Diaye brings 35 years of experience in development, humanitarian assistance, women empowerment, democratic governance, conflict prevention and peacebuilding. She has previously worked in Niger, Nigeria, and Togo.

Before joining the UN, she held several senior positions in the Senegalese public administration, including as General Manager of the Social Development Fund, as well as in the Ministries of Economy, Women, and Children’s Affairs, Social Development, Planning, and International Cooperation.  

Lo N’Diaye holds a post-graduate degree in Land Management and Urban Planning, a Masters in Economic Geography and a Bachelors in Geography from La Sorbonne University, France.  She is fluent in English and French.

The head of UNITAMS and UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, Volker Perthes, arrived in Khartoum February 2 to take up office.

The UNITAMS main office will be based in Khartoum with regional offices in Darfur (El Fasher, Zalingei, Nyala), South Kordofan (Kadugli, Kauda), Blue Nile state (Ed Damazin), and eastern Sudan (Kassala, Port Sudan).

12 foreign staff and four Sudanese will form the UN presence on the ground for UNITAMS start-up. He also mentioned there will be a total of 269 staff in total, including experienced national staff in all offices.