UN Appoints Indo-Canadian Afshan Khan In Key Post For Drive To End Malnutrition

Afshan Khan will succeed Gerda Verburg of the Netherlands.

Washington:

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has announced the appointment of Indo-Canadian Afshan Khan as the coordinator of the ‘Scaling Up Nutrition Movement’.

The Scaling Up Nutrition or SUN Movement is a country-driven initiative led by 65 nations and four Indian states united in their mission to end all forms of malnutrition by 2030, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the secretary-general told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York.

“Afshan Khan will succeed Gerda Verburg of the Netherlands, to whom the secretary-general expresses his gratitude for her efforts and dedication in leading the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement,” he said.

Born in India, Ms Khan will lead the SUN Movement Secretariat, as well as coordinate the network of SUN Government Focal Points, the movement’s stakeholders, and supporters, Dujarric said.

She has both Canadian and United Kingdom citizenship. Ms Khan holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, and a bachelor’s degree in political science from McGill University.

According to a UN statement, in her new assignment, Ms Khan will work to ensure the execution of the Scaling Up Nutrition strategy at the global level by building partnerships, and galvanizing engagement and commitment to end malnutrition in all its forms.

Ms Khan started her work for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Mozambique in 1989 and is currently serving as the regional director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

She also has extensive knowledge of international civil society organisations, having served as the CEO of Women for Women International.

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