A Tanzanian has been appointed the Deputy Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).

Ms Joyce Msuya, who has extensive experience in international finance, was appointed to the the Nairobi-based UN agency on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said a statement.

She will succeed Mr Ibrahim Thiaw of Mauritania.

Before her appointment, Ms Msuya held various positions including at the World Bank, where she served most recently as the advisor for the bank’s East Asia and Pacific region.

Annual budget

Her work has spanned “corporate, strategy, operations, knowledge management and partnerships, with diverse assignments in Africa, Latin America and Asia regions,” according to the UN press office.

She holds a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Immunology from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland.

Ms Msuya is married and has two children.

Unep has worldwide staff of 860 and an annual budget of about $600 million, and is currently led by Erik Solheimof Norway.