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Appointment of New Executive Director

New York/Nairobi, 31 July 2000: The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan, today appointed Mrs. Anna Kajumulo Tibaijuka as the new Executive Director of the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat). Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka will join UNCHS (Habitat) within the next three months. She comes to Habitat from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) where she has been the Special Coordinator for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked and Small Island Developing Countries. In this role, Mrs. Tibaijuka has been responsible for strengthening the capacity of LDCs in trade negotiations with the World Trade Organisation. Most recently, Anna Tibaijuka was also designated the Executive Secretary for the Third United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries which is to be held in Brussels next year.

The appointment of Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka was welcomed by Mr. Klaus Toepfer, in his capacity as Acting Executive Director of UNCHS (Habitat) and in his role as Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme and Director General of the United Nations Office in Nairobi (UNON).

"I look forward to working with Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka," said Klaus Toepfer. "Together, we can build synergies between UNEP and Habitat to address environmental and urban issues. In a world where over half of humanity lives in urban areas, the environmental future of the planet is closely linked to the management of our cities and human settlements."

A Tanzanian national, Mrs. Tibaijuka holds a Doctorate of Science in Agricultural Economics from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala. From 1993 to 1998, when she joined UNCTAD, Anna Tibaijuka was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Dar-es-Salaam. During this period she was also a member of the Tanzanian Government delegation to several United Nations Summits including the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Istanbul, 1996); the World Food Summit (Rome 1996); the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995) and the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995). At these summits, Mrs. Tibaijuka was an active member of the Civil Society and NGO Forums. At the World Food Summit in Rome, she was elected Coordinator for Eastern Africa in the Network for Food Security, Trade and Sustainable Development (COASAD). Anna Tibaijuka has also been a Board Member of UNESCO's International Scientific Advisory Board since November 1997.

Dedicated to the role, and rights, of women in development, Mrs. Tibaijuka is the founding Chairperson of the Tanzanian National Women's Council (BAWATA), an independent, non-politically aligned, organisation advocating for women's rights to land, inheritance and social services. Anna Tibaijuka is also founding Chairperson of the Barbro Johansson Girls Education Trust which is dedicated to promoting high standards of education amongst girls in Tanzania and in Africa.

For further information please contact:

Sharad Shankardass, Media & Press Relations Unit, UNCHS (Habitat), Nairobi, Kenya. Tel: 254 2 623153; 623151; Fax: 254 2 624060; E-mail: habitat.press@unchs.org; Website: http://www.unchs.org