Quick Facts
Biography
Maimunah Mohd Sharif (born 26 August 1961) is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) and Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) following the appointment of her predecessor, Hanna Tetteh, as Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union in Addis Ababa.. She holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations in the UN System and sits on the UN Chief Executives Board and the Senior Management Group.
Prior to her appointment to UN-Habitat, Sharif was the Mayor of Penang Island, Malaysia. Before her appointment as Mayor, she had served as the President of the Municipal Council of Seberang Perai from 2011, the first woman to be appointed to the position.
Family, early life and education
Maimunah Sharif was Born in Kuala Pilah, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia, on 26 August 1961.She attended the University of Wales Institute of Science and Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Science with honoursin Town Planning Studies. She also holds a Master of Science in Planning Studies from the Malaysia Science University.
She is married to Adli Lai they have two daughters.
UN-Habitat
On 22 December 2017, the United Nations General Assembly elected Maimunah Sharif as the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme UN-Habitat. She was appointed by the UN Secretary General António Guterres for a four-year term.
On 22 January 2018, Sharif assumed her post at UN-Habitat's Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Honors and awards
- Malaysian Institute of Planners- Planner of The Year 2014.
- Habitat III in Quito - 2016 Global Human Settlements Outstanding Contribution Award
- Malaysia Book of Records, January 2018 - first Asian woman to be appointed as Executive Director of UN-Habitat.