UN-Habitat Executive Director to Speak at DPU on the topic of 'Planning for Equitable Urban Futures'

Maimunah Mohd Sharif

Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), appointed at the level of Under-Secretary-General by the Secretary-General, following an election by the General Assembly on 22 December 2017. On 22 January 2018, Ms. Sharif assumed her post at UN-Habitat's Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. She has succeeded Dr. Joan Clos of Spain. On 20 January 2022, her term was extended by a further two years.

Since joining the United Nations in 2018, Ms. Sharif has re-positioned UN-Habitat as a thought leader in sustainable urbanization and an agency that advocates for the implementation of the New Urban Agenda to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the nationally determined contributions to the Climate Action Paris Agreement.  She is the Co-Chair of the Secretary-General’s Task Force on the Future of Cities and Co-Chair of the Local 2030 Coalition, designed to support and accelerate local-led delivery of the Sustainable Development Goals. Ms. Sharif is an advocate for local voluntary reviews of the New Urban Agenda and a champion of urban issues in the World Economic Forum. She presided over the Ninth and Tenth Session of the World Urban Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2018 and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates in 2020, respectively. In June 2022, she will open the Eleventh Session of the World Urban Forum in Katowice, Poland.

Before becoming Executive Director, Ms. Sharif served as Mayor of Penang in Malaysia and was the President of the Malaysian Association of Local Authorities (MALA).  She has over 30 years of experience in urban planning, urban regeneration and community-led development.  

To find out more about UN-Habitat and its programs, visit www.unhabitat.org. 
To find out more about the Eleventh Session of the World Urban Forum, visit wuf.unhabitat.org