Kenyan Amakobe Sande has been appointed the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Eritrea.
Sande was appointed to the position by UN secretary-general António Guterres after the host government approved.
She brings to the post over 25 years of experience in international cooperation, development coordination, strategic management, peacebuilding, and humanitarian affairs.
Sande has worked in various positions at the UN and other international organizations.
In the UN, she held various leadership positions with the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), including recently as the Country Director and Representative to China.
Sande also worked as Senior Gender Equality Advisor and Team Leader for Country Support in the UNAIDS Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa, UNAIDS Country Coordinator in Lesotho, and Country Director in Malawi and Uganda.
Prior to joining the UN, she held senior posts with international NGOs including Oxfam where she served as the Regional Manager for Southern Africa, Regional Manager for Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia), Deputy Country Representative in Rwanda, and Country Director in Zambia.
She also served as the Director for the Southern Africa Partnership Programme of ActionAid International.
Sande holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and a Master’s in Development Studies.
