Secretary-General appoints Mr. Mohamed Yahya of Somalia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan 

The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mr. Mohamed Yahya of Somalia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, with the host Government’s approval. He took up his post on January 21, and he will also serve as the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in the country.  

Mohamed Yahya of Somalia has more than 20 years of experience in development and peacebuilding.  Prior to his appointment, he served as the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative in Nigeria, where he oversaw one of UNDP’s largest country portfolios in Africa with presence in five out of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. 

Before that, he worked as the Coordinator for Africa Regional Programme for the UNDP based in Addis Ababa, where he was responsible for regional development initiatives in support of the African Union and Africa’s Regional Economic Communities. Previously, Mohamed held positions with UNDP as post-conflict recovery specialist supporting UN interventions in Afghanistan and Liberia, as well as coordinator for a UN joint initiative on natural resource management. Before joining the UN, he worked as a senior peacebuilding advisor for the non-governmental organisation International Alert.  

Mr. Yahya holds a master’s degree in Violence, Conflict and Development and a bachelor’s degree in Politics and History from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London).