Ambassador (Dr) Josephine Ojiambo
(Chair)
(Chair)
(Chair)
Dr Ojiambo is a high-profile and highly celebrated Diplomat; former Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth (Commonwealth of Nations); former Kenya’s Ambassador to the United Nations; former Chief of the Executive Board and External Relations of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); She is a top Executive Official of Rotary International and serves currently, as the Official Representative of Rotary International to the United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).
At the level of the Commonwealth and the United Nations, Ambassador Ojiambo has been deeply engaged with a range of significant national, African and global issues. Ambassador Ojiambo sits on the Governing Bodies of several influential international organizations, advisory groups, NGOs and think-tanks.
Dr Ojiambo has more than 30 years of experience in international relations, diplomacy, governance and policy advocacy. She is a qualified physician who practiced medicine, trained in Diplomacy and International Relations. Dr Ojiambo graduated in medicine and surgery and later took a masters degree in Community Medicine and Public Health. She served within various ministries before she was appointed as the Kenyan ambassador to the United Nations. Dr Ojiambo brings a strong track record in leadership, strategic and operational management, and a right-based approach to international development, democracy building and conflict resolution.
Ambassador Ojiambo has worked directly with Her Royal Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, The Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth. She had also worked alongside Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General of the United Nations in addressing conflicts on post-electoral violations. In her role as the Deputy Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Ambassador Ojiambo worked directly with Presidents or Heads of Government of 54 countries in 5 continents of the world with a combined population of more than 2.4 billion people.
An advocate of democracy, good governance and sustainable development, Dr Ojiambo champions Global Partnerships in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations with a strong emphasis on vulnerability, including ensuring refugee and migrant rights, gender equality and reproductive health and rights. She has a distinguished public and diplomatic service career.