Waly to assume UN post in Vienna Feb. 3: Official

CAIRO – 16 January 2020: Former Minister of Solidarity Ghada Waly will officially assume her United Nations post on February 3, said Martin Nesirky, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Vienna, Austria.

In an annual meeting with journalists on Wednesday, Nesirky congratulated Egypt for Waly’s new position as director‑general of the UN Office at Vienna and wished her success.

In November, UN Secretary‑General António Guterres announced the appointment of Waly also as the next executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). She succeeds Yury V. Fedotov of Russia.

Waly, 53, had served as social solidarity minister since 2014, during the governments of Ibrahim Mahlab, Sherif Ismail, and incumbent Mostafa Madbouli’s 1st tenure.

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

She also served as coordinator of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Social Justice, chairperson of the National Center for Social and Criminological Research and 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 UN 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.