Welcome back, Sister!

Twenty six years ago, a young electoral officer working for UNTAG was stationed in Swakopmund, helping Namibians prepare for elections that would lead to Independence.

Last week that same officer returned to Namibia, this time as Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, and ex officio, as chairperson of the UN Country Team.
Ms Kiki Gbeho officially presented her credentials to the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Hon. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, on Wednesday, 5 August 2015.
She has now officially assumed her duties as the Resident Coordinator (RC) of the United Nations in Namibia. She is the chairperson of the UN Country Team (UNCT). As such she fulfills the responsibility of coordinating all resident UN entities to align their efforts with the government’s development priorities.
The UN Country Team said it remains committed to support the government’s vision 20/30 and to deliver on the United Nations Partnership Framework (UNPAF) 2014 -2018. The UN is also assisting the government to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In addition to her role as the Resident Coordinator, Ms. Gbeho is the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative, guiding the work of UNDP.
She has served the United Nations for over 20 years in various complex environments like Cambodia, Angola, Iraq, Sudan and Somalia. She also served at the United Nations Headquarters in New York managing the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHAs) operations in East Southern Africa.
H.E. Nandi-Ndaitwah gave Ms. Gbeho a very warm welcome and requested UN support in the areas of disaster risk management and coordinating the UN’s response to emerging humanitarian needs. Ms. Gbeho assured the minister that the UN is fully committed to support the government to address poverty.