Leadership
Cristina Duarte (Cabo Verde)
Under-Secretary-General (USG) and Special Adviser of the United Nations Secretary-General on Africa
In July 2020, United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Cristina Duarte of the Republic of Cabo Verde as his Special Adviser on Africa. In this role, she leads the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa (OSAA).
Ms. Duarte's career includes more than 34 years of leadership and strategic management experience in public policymaking and 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 was Minister of Finance and Planning of Cabo Verde (2006-2016), Director of a World Bank project, Director for Planning and Studies in the Cabo Verde Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and Adviser to many international financial and non-governmental organizations. Ms. Duarte also worked for Citibank, including as 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 fluent in English, French, Italian and Portuguese. Ms. Duarte is married and has a daughter.
Jean-Paul Adam (Seychelles)
Director (D-2) for Policy, Monitoring and Advocacy
Jean-Paul Adam is the Director for Policy, Monitoring and Advocacy in the Office of the Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary General.
He joined the United Nations in January 2020 and served as the Director for Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management in the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa up until June 2023.
Mr. Adam previously served in several Cabinet positions in the Government of Seychelles including Minister of Finance, Trade and the Blue Economy (2015-2016) where he negotiated a debt for climate change adaptation swap in 2015 which placed 30 per cent of Seychelles oceanic space under protection, and launched the process for Seychelles to become the first issuer of a Blue Bond. He also served as Seychelles’ Minister of Foreign Affairs (2010-1015) and Minister of Health (2016-2019).