51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 23 February 2023 the appointment of Aisa Kirabo Kacyira of Rwanda as Head of the 51³Ô¹Ï Support Office in Somalia (UNSOS). Ms. Kacyira succeeds Lisa Filipetto of Australia to whom the Secretary-General expresses his gratitude for her dedication and effective leadership of UNSOS.
Ms. Kacyira brings to this position more than 30 years of experience in a multifaceted career in diplomacy and community and political engagement, as well as in leadership in development and humanitarian assistance, at local, national and international levels. Since 2020, Ms. Kacyira has served as the resident High Commissioner to the Government of Ghana and non-resident representative to Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia.
Prior to that, Ms. Kacyira served as Governor of the Eastern Province (2011), Rwanda’s largest province, and as Executive Mayor of Kigali (2006-2011). Between 2003 and 2006, she served as a Member of Parliament and actively participated in Parliament’s legislative and oversight functions, in addition to community mobilization.
In addition to her political and diplomatic roles, Ms. Kacyira has held several positions in development and humanitarian assistance, notably as Deputy Executive Director with the 51³Ô¹Ï Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) from 2011 to 2018, and also in programme and project management with the Ministry of Agriculture in Rwanda, as well as various non-governmental organizations, including Oxfam and Care International.
Ms. Kacyira holds a Master of Veterinarian Science in Animal Production and Economics from James Cook University in Australia, and a Bachelor of Veterinarian Medicine from Makerere University in Uganda.
