Anna Tibaijuka, Executive Director, UN HABITAT

Mrs. Tibaijuka joined UN-HABITAT as Executive Director in September 2000. Today she is the highest ranking African woman in the United Nations system. During her first two years in office, Mrs. Tibaijuka oversaw major reforms that led the UN General Assembly to upgrade the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements to a fullyfledged UN programme, now called UN-HABITAT—the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Her appointment as Executive Director was confirmed at the Under-Secretary-General level, and Mrs. Tibaijuka was elected by the General Assembly to her first four-year term in July 2002. As the Executive Director, she participates in all high-level bodies of the UN system. These include the Chief Executive Board of the United Nations, and the Senior Management Board of the Secretary-General, which serves as his cabinet.