Biographical Note

Secretary-General Appoints Aisa Kirabo Kacyira of Rwanda Deputy Executive

 

Director, Assistant Secretary-General for UN-Habitat

 

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Aisa Kirabo Kacyira of Rwanda as Deputy Executive Director and Assistant Secretary-General for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).

She succeeds Inga Björk-Klevby, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedication and commitment to the Organization during her term.

In her new role, Ms. Kirabo will assist the Executive Director, Joan Clos, in the overall management of UN-Habitat, helping the agency to achieve its mandate.  She will support the new UN-Habitat agenda to face urban challenges by strengthening policy to generate more equitable, wealthy and sustainable cities.  Among her many important responsibilities, Ms. Kirabo will support Mr. Clos in advancing the key reviews currently under way at the Programme, including the review of its strategic priorities for the coming years leading to Habitat III in 2016.

Ms. Kirabo brings to her new position a broad knowledge and experience of more than 15 years in senior management and strategic leadership in Government and non-governmental institutions, both national and international.  Since February 2011, she has served as Governor of Eastern Province, Rwanda’s largest province, with a population exceeding 2 million.  Ms. Kirabo has also overseen the development and urbanization of the Province, which borders the capital, Kigali, in a sustainable manner.

She has facilitated strategic planning in line with Government policy, while overseeing effective and efficient use of resources, capacity-building and service delivery.  Her skilled fostering of regional diplomatic and cross-border trade relations will be essential as UN-Habitat’s new urban agenda is embraced by its partners.

Ms. Kirabo’s leadership as Mayor of Kigali (2006-2011), one of the world’s fastest-urbanizing cities, is well noted.  In recognition of the capital’s high levels of cleanliness, greenness and safety, combined with sustainable, affordable housing initiatives and pro-poor urban employment opportunities under Ms. Kirabo’s leadership, Kigali won the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award in 2008.  As the agency undergoes an organizational review, her experience in enhancing the city’s competitiveness amid major global challenges such as the financial crisis, climate change and others, will be beneficial to the Programme.

Prior to her tenure as Mayor, Ms. Kirabo was an elected Member of Parliament (and a member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Land Use and Management, Settlement and Environment).  She participated actively in Parliament’s legislative and oversight functions in addition to community mobilization.

Ms. Kirabo was educated at James Cook University, Australia, where she gained a master’s degree in veterinary science in animal production and economics; and at Makerere University, Uganda, where she earned a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree.  She is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration at the School of Finance and Banking, Rwanda/Maastricht School of Management, in the Netherlands.

She is 46 years old, married and has four children.

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For information media • not an official record