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Ethiopia’s Envoy Elected to Chair Council for UN Migration Agency

ADDIS ABABA – Ambassador Zenebe Kebede is elected as Chairperson of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Council.

Zenebe, who is a permanent representative of Ethiopia to the United Nations, got the nod of the council at the 24th Session of the Standing Committee on Program and Finance, which was held on Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland.



The candidature was presented by Namibia which secured unanimous support from the member states, said the ministry of finance in a statement released on Thursday.

According to his profile released by the foreign ministry, ambassador Zenebe served the Ministry as a career diplomat at both the headquarters and Ethiopian Missions.

During his stay at the headquarters, he served as Director-General for boundary and trans-boundary resources affairs, Director General for International Legal Affairs, and Chief of Cabinet of the Minister.

He joined the Foreign Service in December 1995. A lawyer by training, Ambassador Zenebe earned a Master’s degree in Diplomacy, Law and Global Change from Coventry University in the United Kingdom (2002); and a Bachelor of Law (LL.B) from Addis Abeba University School of Law in 1990.

The IOM Council is the highest decision-making body of the Organization that has a membership of 172 countries.

As a lead UN organization in migration, the Council has the responsibility of guiding the work of the Organization.