Ms. Zewde is the first person to be solely appointed to the newly created position as head of the Organization’s Nairobi Office, at the Under-Secretary-General level. She was sworn-in by the UN Secretary-General in April during his visit to Kenya for the Chief Executive Board meeting..

Before Ms. Zewde’s appointment, the Executive Director of UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner was the UNON Director General.

Prior to her new appointment, Ms Zewde was Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Integrated Peace building Office in the Central African Republic (BINUCA).  She has been Permanent Representative of Ethiopia to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).  She has also served as Director General for African Affairs in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, posts that she held since 2006.

Ms. Zewde was Ambassador to France, Permanent Representative to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and accredited to Tunisia and Morocco (2002-2006).  From 1993 to 2002, she served as Ambassador to Djibouti and Permanent Representative to the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD), and to Senegal, with accreditation to Mali, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Gambia and Guinea (1989-1993).

Ms. Zewde is a natural sciences graduate of the University of Montpellier, France.  She is fluent in Amharic, French and English.

Born on 21 February 1950, she has two sons.