The newly appointed Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV), Monica Juma, has highlighted Africa’s resilience, dynamism, and vast potential as she celebrates Africa Day.

In a post on her official X account on Monday, May 25, 2026, Monica Juma expressed the challenges Africa faces and the extraordinary potential it holds while underscoring the central role of its people

“#AfricaDay always offers an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate Africa’s great resilience, dynamism and immense promise. As an African serving within the UN system, I know both the challenges Africa faces and the extraordinary potential it holds,” Monica stated.

She called for a shared global responsibility to create enabling conditions so that the continent’s promise can be realised “by Africans, for Africa, and the wider global humanity.”

Further adding that Africa’s shared responsibility is to help create the conditions for the continent’s promise to be fully realised by Africans.

“I remain convinced that Africa’s greatest asset is its people. Our shared responsibility is to help create the conditions for the continent’s promise to be fully realised – by Africans, for Africa, and the wider global humanity,” Monica added.

On her part, Monica has expressed her commitment in the capacity of the Executive Director of the United Nations Office to work alongside African countries to fulfil that promise and advance peace, security, justice and the rule of law across the continent.

At@UNODC, I am committed to working alongside African countries to fulfill that promise and advance peace, security, justice and the rule of law across the continent. Happy Africa Day!

Africa Day

Africa Day, observed annually on May 25, commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) in 1963.

It serves as a platform to celebrate African unity, achievements, and aspirations while addressing ongoing challenges such as conflict, transnational crime, and development hurdles, areas that align closely with UNODC’s mandate.