United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Monica Kathina Juma as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna.

The announcement was made on March 6, placing the Kenyan diplomat and security expert in charge of two key United Nations offices.

Juma will succeed Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt, whose service the Secretary-General acknowledged. The UN chief also thanked John Brandolino, who will continue serving as Acting Executive Director of UNODC and Acting Director-General of UNOV until Juma assumes office.

“United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Monica Kathina Juma of Kenya as Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as well as Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV).”

“She succeeds Ghada Fathi Waly of Egypt, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for her dedicated service to the Organisation.”

Career in government and diplomacy

Juma currently serves as National Security Adviser to the President of Kenya and Secretary to the National Security Council, a role she has held since 2022. She has previously served in several senior government positions, including Cabinet Secretary for Energy from 2021 to 2022, Defence from 2020 to 2021, and Foreign Affairs from 2018 to 2020.

She also served briefly as Acting Cabinet Secretary for Petroleum and Mining in 2022.

Before her Cabinet appointments, she held Principal Secretary roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Interior in the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, and the Ministry of Defence.

Her diplomatic experience includes serving as Kenya’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti and Permanent Representative to the African Union, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa between 2010 and 2013.

Leadership of global UN programmes

In her new position, Juma will lead the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, which coordinates international efforts to address drug trafficking, transnational organised crime, corruption, terrorism financing, and human trafficking. The office supports member states through research, legal assistance, and capacity-building programmes operating in more than 150 countries.

As Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna, she will oversee one of the UN’s major duty stations. The Vienna office hosts several international bodies, including the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

Juma holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Oxford and both a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Arts in Government and Public Administration from the University of Nairobi.