Amina J. Mohammed: Energy for Sustainable Goals

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations

U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed

Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed is the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and Chair of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group. Before her appointment, Ms. Mohammed served as Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action and efforts to protect the natural environment.

Ms. Mohammed began her career working on the design of schools and clinics in Nigeria. She served as an advocate focused on increasing access to education and other social services, before moving into the public sector, where she rose to the position of adviser to four successive Presidents on poverty, public sector reform, and sustainable development.

As the Chair of the United Nations, Ms. Mohammed envisions the creation of a global enabling environment to support long-term development policies and initiatives. One of the main obstacles the deputy secretary-general identified relates to the short-term outlook of most large and publicly-listed corporations which need to produce stellar results each quarter to keep shareholders happy.

“Short-termism is a persistent threat to the successful eradication of poverty,” she says. Most CEOs of large companies who can, and want to, make a difference have indicated that they are often reluctant to invest in projects which only become profitable over the longer term. “We understand this reluctance, but must act to remove these pain points to unlock investments on a meaningful scale.”

She calls on both governments and the private sector to come up with innovative solutions to current financing challenges. She convincingly argues that there is enough capital available globally to end poverty, but its allocation falters, resulting in unmet funding needs.

“We need to think outside the box about ways to catalyze the growing interest and potential of private capital for implementing SDGs.” Mohammed supports Secretary-General António Guterres’ efforts to reshape the UN’s development framework to award a much greater role to private investors and broaden the agenda by pursuing social inclusiveness and engagement with the financial community.

Ms. Mohammed expects the move to improve both the coherence and effectiveness of global development initiatives such as the SDGs. “The United Nations will be at the forefront of this trend by brokering partnerships, leveraging resources, and building capacity.” Trouble, Mohammed realizes full well, often rears its head as the result of environmental degradation or other major shocks, leading her to surmise that development issues have a great many vectors that all need to be considered and fine-tuned.

Power with Purpose: Amina J. Mohammed

She stressed in the post-2015 debate at UNESCO “We have a historic opportunity to redefine the course of our future, by balancing the aspirations of all peoples to achieve their full potential within the finite resources of our planet.” She said that “with the resources and know-how to end extreme poverty and put our planet on a sustainable development course before it is too late.” She urged “to work together to accomplish this once-in-a-generation challenge.”

During the discussion, she stressed to all members of the governments and private sectors that it became clear that education, the sciences, culture, and communication and information all play important roles as shapers and drivers of sustainable development.

Ms. Mohammed displays a truly remarkable talent for bringing people together. She is convincing in her call to action and inspiring when it comes to making a difference.

“…The commodity that we have to share with the world is hope.”
“…we need to think collectively about the responsibility of what we do to make sure there is a more equitable world, that everyone is included and that we really think about our footprint in our home.”
“People matter. If people didn’t matter, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We need to put people first at the center of everything we do.”
“The hard way is the best way.”
“The only purpose of power is to serve with the courage of one’s conviction that all people in the world have rights that must be respected.”
“For me, it has been a long journey, step by step, using the education I had to make a difference.”
Amina J Mohammed

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