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Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, an eminent South African engineering, and artificial intelligence scholar has taken charge as the seventh rector of the United Nations University (UNU). He is the first African to be appointed to the position.
Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala, an eminent South African engineering, and artificial intelligence scholar has taken charge as the seventh rector of the United Nations University (UNU). He is the first African to be appointed in the position and joined the office on March 1st at the UNU headquarters in Tokyo. He holds the rank of UN Under-Secretary-General in this role.
Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala was the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg and also a visiting scholar/professor at universities in the US, the UK, China, and South Africa. He has served on various global and national policymaking bodies and with UN entities such as UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, and WIPO. He has done management and leadership programmes at the Columbia and Harvard Business Schools.
The selection of Prof. Marwala was officially announced by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres in July 2022. He succeeds Dr David M. Malone of Canada who served as UNU Rector from 1 March 2013 to 28 Feb. 2023. The UNU rector is selected from a panel of candidates nominated by the governing UNU Council. The appointment by the UN Secretary-General is decided in consultation and concurrence with the Director-General of UNESCO.
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http://trendsnafrica.com/education-in-africa-time-to-re-design/
The United Nations University was set up in 1975. It is a global research and training organisation with institutes and programmes in 12 countries. The main focus of UNU includes research, training, and policy-relevant advisory services. It also acts as a think tank of the United Nations system, in close coordination with other United Nations system entities and leading research institutions. According to the Charter of UNU, its research shall be devoted to “the pressing global problems of human survival, development, and welfare that are the concern of the United Nations”.
