WB congratulates Ghada Waly on assuming UNODC executive director post

CAIRO – 22 November 2019: Vice President of the World Bank Mahmoud Mohieldin congratulated Ghada Waly, the minister of social solidarity, as she was appointed as the executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Waly, also chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Fund for Drug Control and Treatment of Addiction (FDCTA), was appointed by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to also succeed Yury Fedotov of Russia as director-general of the UN Office at Vienna (UNOV).

Waly brings to the position over thirty years of experience in the field of sustainable development, poverty reduction and social protection, women and youth empowerment, the UN wrote on its website.

Waly, since she took post as social solidarity minister, has developed the national anti-drug strategy, led a nation-wide drug awareness and prevention campaign among youth and pioneered innovative programmes to rehabilitate and reintegrate persons with substance use disorders into society.

In her current role, she also serves as Coordinator of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Justice, Chairperson of the National Centre for Social and Criminological Research and chairs the Executive Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs in the League of Arab States.

Her previous leadership positions include Managing Director of the Social Fund for Development (2011‑2014), Assistant Resident Representative at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Egypt (2004‑2011) and Program Director of CARE International in Egypt (2000‑2004).

Waly holds a master’s degree in humanities and Bachelor of Arts in foreign languages and literature from the Colorado State University. She is fluent in Arabic, English and French and has a working knowledge of Spanish.