United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Christine N. Umutoni of Rwanda as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Liberia, with the host Government’s approval. She takes up her post on 1 February.
Ms. Umutoni recently served as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles. She was already in this position prior to the United Nations reform. Previously, she was the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Eritrea.
Ms. Umutoni also worked for UNDP as Country Director in Zimbabwe, Country Adviser in the Regional Bureau for Africa at Headquarters in New York and Head of Governance, Justice, Gender and HIV Units in Rwanda. In this capacity, she supported the production of Rwanda’s first-ever Joint Governance Assessment report and capacity-building to governance institutions covering elections, anti-corruption, justice, human rights and peacebuilding.
Prior to joining the United Nations system, she worked as a development consultant, focusing on governance and gender. Ms. Umutoni has worked with the Rwanda Government in various capacities. She has served as both Rwanda’s Ambassador to Belgium, also accredited to the Netherlands, Luxembourg, European Union and the Vatican, based in Brussels, and Rwanda’s Ambassador to Uganda.
Before her diplomatic assignments, she worked in the Office of the President as Adviser on Economic and Social Affairs and supported the process of the elaboration of Rwanda’s poverty reduction strategy among other things. Ms. Umutoni also served as Director of Cabinet at the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Social Integration in 1994, after the war and genocide. She was responsible for policy formulation, coordination of ministry activities, and international fundraising for post-genocide rehabilitation and reconstruction activities in Rwanda.
She also coordinated humanitarian aid, reconstruction, repatriation/resettlement of refugees and displaced persons, and provided assistance to vulnerable groups, including widows and orphans. From 1988 to 1994, she worked as Chairperson of the Rwandese Refugees Foundation and contributed to various types of work during the crisis period in Rwanda.
Source: United Nations