UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Monday, December 6, the appointment of George William Okoth-Obbo of Uganda as Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect and the appointment of Sara Beysolow Nyanti of Liberia as the new Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and Resident Coordinator in South Sudan. She will also serve as Humanitarian Coordinator.
Sara Beysolow Nyanti succeeds Alain Noudéhou of Benin and George William Okoth-Obbo succeeds Karen Smith of South Africa.
Sara Beysolow Nyanti, says the UN, has more than 20 years of experience in international development and humanitarian affairs, including in conflict and post-conflict situations. She was most recently Resident Coordinator in Nepal. She also served as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Yemen (2019-2020) and The Gambia (2015-2017). Prior to that, she was in charge of numerous technical functions at UNICEF and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), related to large-scale grant management systems development, social protection and cash transfers, HIV/AIDS, health, and education.
Prior to joining the United Nations in Liberia, where she worked during the conflict and transitional government periods, Sara Beysolow Nyanti held senior positions in the Liberian Ministry of Health (1999-2003). She served as Director of the National AIDS Control Program, after serving as Special Assistant to the Minister of Health.
Sara Beysolow Nyanti holds a Master of Public Administration degree from New Charter University, USA. She recently completed a second Masters in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University, USA. In addition, she is an accredited broker with the Partnership Broker Association International based in the UK, which manages and develops collaborative processes. She is currently pursuing a PhD in transformational leadership.
Over 30 years of service to the UN
George William Okoth-Obbo has been with the United Nations for over 30 years. He is currently the Assistant Secretary-General, and head of the secretariat of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement, a position to which he was appointed in 2019. He has served as Deputy High Commissioner for Operations at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2015-2019); Director of UNHCR’s Regional Bureau for Africa (2009-2015); Director of UNHCR’s Division of International Protection (2006-2009); and UNHCR’s Representative in Kenya (2001-2006) and Zambia (2001).
He has also served as deputy director in UNHCR’s regional directorate for Southern Africa (2000-2001); senior policy officer in the same office (1998-2000); deputy protection representative in Ethiopia (1995-1998); senior legal advisor in the regional office for Africa (1991-1995); senior external relations officer at UNHCR headquarters (1989-1991); protection officer in Lesotho (1987-1989) and Swaziland (1987); and deputy protection officer in Botswana (1984-1987).
George William Okoth-Obbo holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and a Diploma in Legal Practice from the Uganda Law Development Centre. Prior to joining UNHCR, he was a lecturer at the Law Development Centre and the Faculty of Law at Makerere University.
