Rabat, Morocco (TMT)- United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced last week the appointment of Moroccan woman Najat Rochdi as his new Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), where she will also serve as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Ms. Rochdi was born in 1961 and has four children.
Ms. Rochdi grew up in the city of Oujda, located about 15 kilometres (9 miles) west of the Algerian border.
Ms. Rochdi received a high school degrees in Mathematics in Oujda, and a DEUG degree in the very same city, before moving to further her studies in France, Canada, and Morocco.
Ms. Rochdi has an extensive experience in development and humanitarian affairs. She has been serving as the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Cameroon since 2013. She served as Deputy Director in charge of Policy, Communication and Operation in the UNDP Geneva Liaison Office and as UNDP Regional Coordinator of Information and Communication Technology for Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR) in Cairo, Egypt.
Prior to her tenure with UNDP, she held senior level positions in the Moroccan Government, including Deputy Minister of Small and Medium Enterprise, Director General of International Cooperation and Development in the Ministry of Post and Information Technology and Advisor to the Prime Minister. She has also been a professor at the Collège Royal and at the Information Sciences University in Rabat, Morocco.
Ms. Rochdi holds a Doctorate in Mathematics and Engineering in Computer Sciences from the University of National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics (INSEA) in Rabat and the University of Montreal.
