Secretary-General Appoints Mohamed Yahya of Somalia United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mohamed Yahya of Somalia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, with the host Government’s approval.  He took up his post on 21 January, and he will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.

Mr. Yahya has more than 20 years of experience in development and peacebuilding.  Prior to his appointment, he served as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Nigeria, where he oversaw one of UNDP’s largest country portfolios in Africa with presence in five out of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

Before that, he worked as the Coordinator for Africa Regional Programme for UNDP based in Addis Ababa, where he was responsible for regional development initiatives in support of the African Union and Africa’s Regional Economic Communities.  Previously, Mr. Yahya held positions with UNDP as post-conflict recovery specialist supporting UN interventions in Afghanistan and Liberia, as well as coordinator for a UN joint initiative on natural resource management.  Before joining the UN, he worked as a senior peacebuilding adviser for the non-governmental organization International Alert.

Mr. Yahya holds a master’s degree in violence, conflict and development and a bachelor’s degree in politics and history from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.