The Kenya-bound executive director of the UN agency will participate at the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur in her new role next month.
GEORGE TOWN: Maimunah Mohd Sharif may be on her way to assume the prestigious executive director’s post at the UN-Habitat headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, but the departing Penang island mayor knows where her heart really belongs.
“I will definitely come back to Penang,” she said after a ceremony to hand over her duties to Yew Tung Seang who succeeds her at the Penang Island Municipal Council (MBPP) here.
“My term (at UN-Habitat) is for four years, but according to the United Nations (UN) secretary-general, it can be extended by another four,” she said.
As head of the UN agency focussed on human settlements and sustainable urban development, Maimunah will work on boosting donor funding for the 40-year-old organisation.
She will also oversee the implementation of the agency’s New Urban Agenda, a 20-year vision for sustainable cities, adopted during Habitat III, the UN conference on housing and sustainable urban development, in Ecuador last year.
Incidentally, Maimunah will be back in Penang in her new role on Feb 10, for an hour-long meeting with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, with participants of the World Urban Forum (WUF) to take place in Kuala Lumpur from February 7 to 13.
“I will try to spend Chinese New Year here in Malaysia before I go back to Nairobi,” she said. The festival this year falls on Feb 17 and 18.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Maimunah last month.
She previously served as general-manager of George Town World Heritage Inc, the state agency managing conservation in the Unesco-listed George Town heritage site, and as president of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council.
Lim, who was present at the ceremony yesterday, praised Maimunah for her “triple promotion”, saying she was devoted to doing new things and was not afraid of making mistakes when she was with GTWHI.
“She was ready to expose herself, to engage and interact with the community at large. Now this is important as we need to engage with stakeholders,” he said, adding that she was also a problem solver.
He said Maimunah’s leadership traits shone during her six months as mayor, especially when she had to deal with crises such as the fatal landslide in Tanjung Bungah in October and massive flooding across Penang in November.
He said the way she handled herself in the crises was raised during her interview with the UN for the executive director’s post.
“I believe she will excel in UN-Habitat,” he said -FMT
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