New york: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Fatou Aminata Lo Diop of Senegal as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Gabon, following the approval of the host government. She officially began her duties on 30 November.

According to EMM, Ms. Lo brings with her two decades of experience within the United Nations, including 12 years in leadership roles, particularly in the fields of development, gender equality, and governance. Her extensive experience includes senior positions at United Nations Headquarters and various country offices in Africa, such as Sudan, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. She most recently served as Resident Representative with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women). Ms. Lo has also contributed to the Bureau for Development Policy at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), focusing on governance as a programme and policy specialist.

Before joining the
United Nations, Ms. Lo started her career in Senegal’s private sector in 1999, later moving to the United Nations Millennium Project in New York in 2004. Her leadership and advocacy have garnered international recognition. Notably, she was an official youth delegate and spokesperson at the fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, representing Senegal. Her accolades include the Ford Foundation Leadership for Social Justice Award in 2003 and being named one of the Faces of the Future by the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., in 2005.

Ms. Lo holds a Maîtrise in business law from the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal, along with a master’s degree in development studies from the School for International Training Graduate Institute in Vermont, United States, and a master’s degree in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Boston, United States.