Iweala Lands New Gig with United Nations

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is amongst 27 international leaders appointed by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon to help improve maternal and child nutrition.

Other eminent members of the group include  Armando Emílio Guebuza, President of Mozambique; Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of Tanzania; Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh; Nahas Angula, Prime Minister of Namibia and Babu Ram Bhattarai, Prime Minister of Nepal.

The group is expected to help coordinate an international effort called Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) to boost child and maternal nutrition as a key towards unlocking progress and development.

‘Never before have so many leaders, from so many countries and fields, agreed to work together to improve nutrition. The Scaling Up Nutrition Movement gives all of us, including the UN, an opportunity to support countries in their efforts to end hunger and malnutrition,’ Ban was quoted as saying.

Others included Ms. Marie Pierre Allié, President, Médecins Sans Frontieres France; and Ms. Helene Gayle, President and CEO, CARE US.

Appointees from the development agencies comprise of Ms. Beverley Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, Canada; Andris Piebalgs, Commissioner for Development
Cooperation, European Commission (EC); Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fishing, France; and Rajiv Shah, Administrator, US Agency for International Development (USAID).

From the business sector, Ms. Vinita Bali, Managing Director, Britannia Industrie, and Paul Polman, Chief Executive Officer, Unilever, were picked.

Also on the group are Ms. Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, World Food Programme and Representative of the UN Standing Committee on Nutrition, and Ms. Tamar Manuelyan Atinc, Vice President, Human Development, World Bank.

Representing foundations and alliances are Chris Elias, President, Global Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Jay Naidoo, Chair of the Board, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition and Ms. Mary Robinson, Chair, Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice.