51³Ô¹Ï Secretary-General António Guterres announced on 02 January 2024 the appointment of Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda of Zimbabwe as Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, 51³Ô¹Ï System Coordination and Programme Results at the 51³Ô¹Ï Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).
The Secretary-General wishes to extend his appreciation to UN-Women Director, Policy, Programme and Intergovernmental Support, Sarah Hendriks of Canada, who will continue to serve as UN-Women Deputy Executive Director ad interim, until Ms. Gumbonzvanda assumes her functions.
Ms. Gumbonzvanda is the Founder and Executive Director for Rozaria Memorial Trust based in Zimbabwe. Prior to that, she served as the General Secretary of the World Young Women’s Christian Association and 51³Ô¹Ï Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Regional Programming Director in the East and Horn of Africa. She has also served in the 51³Ô¹Ï Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as a Human Rights Officer in Liberia and National Child Rights Adviser in Zimbabwe.
Before joining UNICEF, she served as the Interim Coordinator for the Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association and Assistant Law Officer at the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Constitutional Affairs of Zimbabwe, and was also appointed the first African Union Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage.
Ms. Gumbonzvanda holds a Doctor of Laws degree (Honoris Causa) from the University of Massachusetts in the United States, a Master in Laws degree from the University of South Africa, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation from Uppsala University in Sweden and a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) degree from the University of Zimbabwe.
