Monica Juma of Kenya assumed office on Monday as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna (UNOV) and Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), following her appointment by UN Secretary-General António Guterres — a crowning appointment for one of East Africa’s most distinguished public servants.
“I am incredibly proud and honoured to be leading these two offices in Vienna at a critical time for multilateralism,” Juma said.
Juma, who most recently served as Kenya’s first-ever National Security Adviser to the President and as Secretary to the National Security Council from 2022 until earlier this year, brings to the role a sweeping record of public service spanning defence, diplomacy and energy.
She succeeds to an office charged with coordinating the UN’s global response to drug trafficking, organised crime, corruption and terrorism.
Speaking after assuming office, Juma pledged to draw on her depth of experience to confront what she called “some of today’s most pressing challenges to peace and security,” and reaffirmed her commitment to advancing “a safer, more just world.”
Prior to her security advisory role, Juma held Cabinet Secretary portfolios at three strategic ministries – Energy, Defence, and Foreign Affairs – making her one of the most portfolio-diverse ministers in Kenya’s post-independence history.
She also served as Acting Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining, underscoring her government’s confidence in her across sectors.
Her diplomatic credentials are equally formidable. Between 2010 and 2013, Juma served as Kenya’s Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti, and simultaneously as Permanent Representative to the African Union, the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, a triple mandate that few diplomats have held concurrently.
Juma holds a doctorate in Politics and a Certificate in Refugee Studies from the University of Oxford, as well as a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Government and Public Administration from the University of Nairobi.
