NEW YORK – A Nigerian Muslim woman has been appointed as the new Deputy Secretary-General of the UN new Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in a huge achievement for African Muslim women.

“I am pleased to announce that I will be appointing Ms. Amina J. Mohammed of Nigeria as my Deputy Secretary-General, and Ms. Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti of Brazil as my Chef De Cabinet,” Guterres was quoted by Africa News.

He was referring to the appointment of two other women into high-profile positions at the UN, namely Ms. Maria Viotti of Brazil (Chef de Cabinet) and Ms. Kyung-wha Kang of the Republic of Korea as Special advisor on policy, a new role he intends to create.

“I am happy to count on the efforts of these three highly competent women, whom I have chosen for their strong backgrounds in global affairs, development, diplomacy, human rights and humanitarian action,” he added.

Amina Mohammed, the current Nigeria’s Minister of Environment, served as UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser to outgoing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning.

Mohammed played a key role in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

Before joining the UN, she worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Adviser on the Millennium Development Goals.

She is also the UN Secretary-General’s Global Sustainability Panel, the African Women’s Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect and the ActionAid International Right to Education Project.

Born in 1961, and educated in Nigeria and the UK, Mohammed is married and has six children.