Secretary-General Appoints Salvator Niyonzima of Burundi United Nations Resident Coordinator in Benin

On 11 January, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Salvator Niyonzima of Burundi as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Benin, with the host Government’s approval.

Mr. Niyonzima has more than 28 years of experience in the development, health and humanitarian fields, acquired while holding senior positions with the United Nations and externally in West, Central and Southern Africa, as well as the Indian Ocean region.

At the United Nations, he most recently served as Resident Coordinator in Lesotho after completing assignments with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) as Country Director in Burkina Faso, Gabon, Madagascar — also covering Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles — and Namibia.  He also worked as Technical Advisor at UNAIDS Headquarters in Geneva.

Before joining the United Nations, Mr. Niyonzima was Chief of Cabinet in his country’s Ministry of Finance and Junior Advisor at the presidency.  He also lectured at the University of Burundi, having begun his career as a French language teacher and deputy principal of a high school in Bujumbura, the capital.

He holds a master’s degree in public administration from California State University, Fresno, in the United States, a post-graduate diploma from Stellenbosch University in South Africa and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Burundi.

Mr. Niyonzima speaks English, French and Kirundi, as well as basic Kiswahili.