Secretary-General Appoints Savina Ammassari of Brazil United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon

On 5 July, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Savina Ammassari of Brazil as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon, with the host Government’s approval.

Ms. Ammassari brings to the position nearly 30 years of international development experience acquired across more than 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, both at the United Nations and externally.

Within the Organization, she most recently served as Country Director in Cameroon for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and earlier as chief technical adviser to Governments, civil society and development partners in India, Myanmar and Cambodia.  She also held leadership positions with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Volunteers (UNV), International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank.

Ms. Ammassari has also worked with non-governmental organizations, in academia and the private sector on assignments in multiple developing countries, focused on health, education, migration, gender, governance, human rights, community participation and communication.  She is the author of several peer-reviewed articles, policy papers, and a book on migration and development.

The holder of a doctorate in development studies from Sussex University in the United Kingdom, Ms. Ammassari also has a master’s degree in political science from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” in Italy.

She is fluent in English, French, German and Italian.