The head of the United Nations’ chief sexual and reproductive health agency told her staff she planned to step down on July 15, months before her term was scheduled to end in early October.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund, UNFPA, informed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the agency’s executive board president of her plans to step down this summer.
“It’s time to pass on the baton,” she said in a videotaped address to staff, obtained by Devex. “It’s … obviously a poignant moment and year for me personally. I have pledged to do everything in my capacity to keep positioning UNFPA to continue to do great things, and I will need your help to assure that we will have a smooth transition.”