Maimunah Sharif charges young people as she resumes at UN-Habitat

The Executive Director, United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat), Maimunah Mohd Sharif, tells the over hundred young people from 6 schools in Kibera, the largest slum in East Africa “Change the Impossible to I’m possible!”
UN-Habitat welcomed its new Executive Director to the United Nation and Nairobi with a rousing KaribUNi on Tuesday. The Executive Director dropped by Nairobi Children’s Exchange Programme, an annual event hosted by UN-Habitat to raise awareness about the UN and the opportunities that young people have internationally. She came with a message of hope and inspiration from her life as a young person in Malaysia.
“I came from a village, and at that time when I was your age, there was no electricity, I had to use a kerosene lamp, no water, I took water from the well,” she told the young people, “To me at that time, education was the most important thing. So please whether you are in a slum or a village or in a city, education is very important.”
The young people, aged 10 through to 18, came with their teachers. A strong focus of the schools is the empowerment of girls and young women.
“Executive Director Maimunah we are honoured to greet you here at the UN. We are so proud that you have been appointed to this important position; and you being a woman, you have inspired all of us, especially the young women.” stated Harriet Luvanga, a teacher from Gifted Hands Education centre to cheers from the young people.
The Executive Director ended her talk imploring the young people to think positively and act.
“All of you are young; you are the future leaders. You have to think positive,” stated Executive Director, “If you do this you can change the impossible to I’m possible.”
Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia was elected new Executive Director of UN-Habitat on December 22, 2017, following nomination by the United Nations Secretary-General and the General Assembly.
She succeeds Joan Clos of Spain to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedicated service to the Organization. Dr. Clos led UN-Habitat during the pivotal years when the world’s population became majority urban. During this time, he championed the development of a New Urban Agenda and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11), the first development goal focused on sustainable urbanization. His emphasis on urban planning and national urban policies has been widely appreciated and applied to plan and steer the world’s cities toward sustainability, economic and social progress and inclusion.