The UN Office of the Special Adviser on Africa is headed by the Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General. The current Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General is Ms. Cristina Duarte. In July 2020, United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres announced the appointment of Cristina Duarte of the Republic of Cabo Verde as Special Adviser on Africa.

Ms. Duarte’s career includes more than 34 years of leadership and strategic management experience in public policy making and in the private sector, coupled with a deep understanding of international and regional cooperation and the challenges facing African countries. Before joining OSAA, she was a Member of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration and High-Level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs, President Paul Kagame’s Advisory Committee on African Union Reforms, the Board of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and the Board of the Institute of African Leadership for Sustainable Development at the UONGOZI Institute.

She served as Minister of Finance and Planning in the Republic of Cabo Verde from 2006 to 2016. Prior to this position, she was the Director of a World Bank project on private sector development and competitiveness. She has also served as Director for Planning and Studies in the Cabo Verde Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and as an adviser to many international financial and non-governmental organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme, Food and Agriculture Programme, the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Ms. Duarte also worked for Citibank in Kenya Financial Institution Relationship Manager and rose to become the Vice President, Country Corporate Officer and Head of Corporate and Investment Banking of Citibank in Angola.

Ms. Duarte holds a Master’s degree in International Management from the American Graduate School of International Management/Thunderbird School of Global Management, an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the Economics Institute of the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Policies, Planning and Development from the Instituto Superior de Economia in Lisbon, Portugal. She is proficient in English, French, Italian and Portuguese. Ms. Duarte is married and has a daughter.