Secretary-General Appoints Catherine Sozi of Uganda United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mozambique

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Catherine Sozi of Uganda as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mozambique, with the host Government’s approval.  She took up her post on 1 July.

Dr. Sozi brings more than 18 years of cumulative international experience and results at the United Nations in the development system, human rights and humanitarian affairs.  She has worked in several countries, holding positions in Zambia, South Africa and China, and as Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Regional Director in East and Southern Africa.

Prior to her current appointment in Mozambique, she served as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia.  There, she led the United Nations country team to foster engagement with Government, civil society, bilateral and multilateral partners, academia and private sector to enable the United Nations development system to address national needs, priorities and sustainable development challenges to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for the country.

She also led and coordinated the humanitarian action in Ethiopia, with a view to ensuring that it was principled, timely, effective, efficient and contributed to longer-term recovery.  Her commitment to facilitating linkages between the humanitarian, development and human rights pillars encompasses her efforts to ensure affected people’s suffering is alleviated, that lives are protected and their dignity is restored.

Prior to joining the United Nations in 2000, she worked with Governments, private sector and non-governmental organizations in England, Uganda and South Africa on health development planning and service delivery.

A medical doctor, she is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in the United Kingdom and holds a post-graduate diploma from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.  She obtained her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from Saint Mary’s Hospital Medical School, University of London, in the United Kingdom.