Ethiopia gets new UN Resident Coordinator and UN Humanitarian Coordinator

Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie officially handed over her credentials to State Minister Ambassador Taye Atske-Selassie at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and later paid a courtesy call on H.E. Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn.

In her discussions she touched on the new four-year UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) that will be signed in the coming weeks. The UNDAF, which will guide the work of the UN in Ethiopia, is aligned to both the GTP II and the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).    

Prior to taking up her post in Ethiopia, Ms. Eziakon­wa-Onochie was the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda (2012-2015), and before that held the same position in Lesotho (2008-2012). Ms. Eziakon­wa-Onochie has 20 years of experience with the United Nations and comes to Ethiopia with a strong background in economic development, humanitarian assis­tance and management of peace processes.  She has also worked as Chief of the Africa Section for Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) where she managed over 15 country operations in Africa.

The UN country team in Ethiopia has 28 agencies and is considered one of the largest country teams in the world working on both development and humanitarian interventions. The UN’s interventions in Ethiopia, which emphasize harmonisation under the UN Delivering as One approach , has a strategic focus on capacity building to help the country become more resilient and meet its goal of becoming a carbon neutral middle income country by 2025.

Ms. Ahunna Eziakon­wa-Onochie holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on economic and political development in Africa from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York. Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie is personally passionate about broadening the space for engaging youth and women in sustainable development.