Amina Jane Mohammed is a British-Nigerian diplomat and politician who is serving as the fifth Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, she was Nigerian Minister of Environment from 2015 to 2016 and was a key player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process.
Amina Jane Mohammed was born in Liverpool, England, United Kingdom on June 27, 1961 to a Hausa-Fulani Nigerian veterinarian-officer and a British nurse. She is the eldest of five daughters.
Mohammed attended a primary school in Kaduna and Maiduguri in Nigeria and Buchan School in Isle of Man.
She further attended Henley Management College in 1989. After she finished her studies her father demanded she return to Nigeria.
Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group.
Prior to her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.
Ms. Mohammed first joined the United Nations in 2012 as Special Adviser to former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with the responsibility for post-2015 development planning. She led the process that resulted in global agreement around the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the creation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.
Ms. Mohammed has been conferred several honorary doctorates and has served as an adjunct professor, lecturing on international development. The recipient of various global awards, which includes the Order of the Federal Republic 2006. Nigerian Women’s Hall of Fame, 2007. Ford Family Notre Dame Award for International Development and Solidarity, 2015. 2017 Diplomat of the Year Awards. BBC 100 Women for her work as deputy secretary general of the United Nations in 2018 and the Global Citizen Prize World Leader Award in 2019.
Ms.Mohammed has served on numerous international advisory boards and panels.
