UN Secretary-General congratulates Amina Mohammed on appointment as Minister

UN’s Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon on Monday congratulated Ms Amina Mohammed on her appointment as Minister in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mohammed was the Secretary-General's Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Post-2015 Development Planning.

Ban, in a statement in New York, says he is deeply grateful for Mohammed's outstanding service and contributions to the shaping of the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

He said her vision and voice helped to bring people together, enlist new partners to reach global consensus on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"This was across three years of complex negotiations and the most inclusive consultation process in the history of the United Nations’’

The SDGs, he said, are the world’s inspiring new framework for ending poverty and building lives of peace and dignity for all on a healthy planet.

In another development, the Secretary-General condemned the killing of at least seven people, including a United Nations staff member, in a bar in the Kanyosha neighborhoud of Bujumbura, Burundi, on Nov. 7.

Ban reiterated his call for an immediate end to the recurring violence and killings.

He urged the Government to swiftly conduct a full investigation and ensure the perpetrators of this terrible crime were brought to justice.

The UN chief reminded the Government that it is responsible for protecting civilians and ensuring the safety and security of UN personnel in the country.

The Secretary-General also said he had seen the troubling reports that several people, including a policeman, were killed during the ongoing forcible disarmament campaign in Bujumbura.

He strongly urges all Burundian security forces to exercise maximum restraint in order to avoid a further escalation of the tense situation in the country.

The Secretary-General reiterated his appeal to all national stakeholders, in particular the Government of Burundi, to keep the interests of the people of Burundi uppermost and resolve all outstanding issues through an inclusive dialogue.