By M.A. Egge
The Vice President of the Republic of Somaliland, and Acting President, His Excellency Mohamed Ali Aw Abdi, held a farewell meeting with Ms. Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef, the outgoing UNICEF Representative in Somaliland, who was accompanied by senior members of her office.
The Vice President was flanked at the meeting by the ministers of education, health, water, social affairs, local government and the planning director general.
The outgoing UNICEF chief congratulated the Vice President on the success of the Presidential election and the peaceful process in Somaliland change-of guard. She also commended the government for its great efforts and dedication in pacifying the eastern regions of the country and nationalizing the civilian forces.
Miss Wafaa thanked the VP for the good cooperation between the Somaliland national institutions and UNICEF in Somaliland.
She gave him a general briefing on the situation of children in Somaliland, UNICEF’s support and partnership with the Somaliland Government and its affiliated institutions to ensure the protection of children’s rights in Somaliland, as well as the important support that UNICEF provides in the provision of basic services, health and nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene in the country.
The VP and the ministers who spoke at the meeting thanked the senior officials of UNICEF Somaliland for the support that the agency provides in improving the lives of children and the fragile society in Somaliland.
The VP underscored the important support that UNICEF provides in social services such as health, education, water and sanitation and child protection, stating that Somaliland is committed to continuing its partnership with UNICEF to address priority issues for human development, especially children.
He wished the outgoing official a bright future, expressing optimism about further acceleration of the projects implemented by UNICEF in Somaliland, and exploring new ones that can contribute to the priority issues of the Republic of Somaliland.
Wafaa Saeed Abdelatef has been the UNICEF Representative in Somaliland/Somalia where she has been responsible for the leadership and management of the country programme.
Wafaa has devoted more than 20 years to public service with the UN. She served with OCHA, UNICEF and WFP in large scale complex settings with programme management and coordination experience spanning both humanitarian and development action. Her country level experience comprises Sudan, Somalia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Syria, and Ethiopia. She also served in leadership roles with OCHA in New York and Geneva.
Prior to joining the UN System in 2000, she worked with the private sector, academia and non-government organizations in Sudan focusing on planning and delivering services to displaced people and on environmental conservation.
Wafaa obtained a Master of Architecture from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, Master of Physical Planning from the University of Khartoum, and a Bachelor Degree in Architecture from the University of Khartoum.
Additional information source: UNICEF