Huang Xia
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region
People's Republic of China
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today [22 January 2019] the appointment of Huang Xia of the People’s Republic of China as his Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region. He succeeds Said Djinnit of Algeria, to whom the Secretary-General is deeply grateful for his dedicated service and distinguished United Nations career.
Mr. Xia brings over 30 years of diplomatic experience across the world, with experience in Africa, having served in several high-level positions. He was the Ambassador of China to Niger (2009-2012), Senegal (2012-2015) and the Republic of Congo (2015-2018). Most recently, he has served as the Ambassador at large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. In earlier postings, he served in the Embassy of China to Gabon, in the Embassy of China to France, and as Deputy Mayor of the People’s Government of Jiamusi, Helongjiang Province in China.
Born in 1962, Mr. Xia is married and has a son.
Maimouna C. Haidara
Chief of Staff
Guinea
Maimouna Cherif Haidara serves as Chief of Staff in the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region (OSESG-GL), based in Nairobi, Kenya. With more than 20 years of experience across the United Nations system, she has built an accomplished career in international relations, strategic partnerships, programme management, administration, and financial management, supporting peace, security, humanitarian, and development efforts in some of the world's most complex environments.
As Chief of Staff, Ms. Haidara supports the Special Envoy in advancing the Office's mandate and plays a key role in executive decision-making, strategic planning, governance, and the coordination of political and operational priorities.
Prior to this role, she served as Senior Programme Officer at OSESG-GL, where she led strategic partnerships, donor engagement, and financial and administrative management, while overseeing the implementation of the United Nations Strategy for the Great Lakes Region.
Before joining OSESG-GL in 2022, Ms. Haidara was Chief of Mission Support at the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) in Dakar, Senegal, where she managed mission support services across the region, including human resources, finance, logistics, information and communications technology, transport, and general services. She previously held the same position with the Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Burundi, guiding the Office through a period marked by post-electoral transition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and preparations for its closure.
Earlier in her career, she served as Programme Management Officer with the United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU) in Addis Ababa, contributing to the African Union-United Nations peace and security partnership. She also spent a decade at United Nations Headquarters in New York, overseeing administrative, financial, and budgetary functions, including support for peacekeeping operations and intergovernmental budget processes.
Prior to joining the UN Secretariat, Ms. Haidara worked with UNICEF in Burundi and Guinea, supporting humanitarian and emergency operations. She began her professional career in the private sector with Mobil Oil Guinea.
A national of Guinea, Ms. Haidara holds an Executive Master's in Management of International Organizations from SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, and a degree in Management from the University of Conakry.
She is married and the mother of three children.