Monica Juma, the National Security Advisor to President William Ruto and Secretary to the National Security Council, has been appointed as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as well as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV).
She was appointed to the dual role by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Friday, March 6.
In a statement, the UN said Juma will succeed Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt, who served a six-year term from 2020 to 2026.
“United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Monica Kathina Juma of Kenya as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as well as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV),” the UN said in a statement.
Appointments at this level, which hold the rank of Under-Secretary-General, are made by the UN Secretary-General and are often for an initial period of up to five years, subject to renewal.
According to UN practice, the office of the Executive Director of UNODC, as well as the Director-General of UNOV, are typically held by the same person.
The holder of this office is regarded at the rank of Under-Secretary-General, and is appointed by the UN Secretary-General. Typically, the holders of this office serve an initial period of up to five years, subject to renewal.
An Under-Secretary-General (USG) is a high-ranking official in the United Nations and holds the third-highest rank in the UN hierarchy, below the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General.
This means the former Defense Cabinet Secretary is among a group high ranking officials at the global agency.
“Juma is a strategic senior leader with a depth of expertise, experience and knowledge spanning public policy making, execution and academia across critical areas of security, diplomacy and governance,” the UN said while announcing her appointment.
Juma has held various roles in government, including Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Energy (2021-2022), Ministry of Defence (2020-2021) and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2018-2020), and was Acting Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining (2022).
She further served as Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2016-2018), Department of Interior, Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government (2014-2016), and Ministry of Defence (2013-2014).
She was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kenya to Ethiopia and Djibouti and Permanent Representative of Kenya to the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA) (2010-2013).
She holds a PhD, Doctor of Philosophy, from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, as well as a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Administration from the University of Nairobi.