UN taps Egypt’s former planning minister Rania Al Mashat to head Escwa

Former International Cooperation and Planning Minister Rania Al Mashat will take over the UN’s economic arm for the Arab world, after Secretary-General António Guterres appointed her as executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (Escwa), according to a UN statement. We don’t yet know when she will assume office in Beirut, but the current acting executive secretary Mourad Wahba will maintain his post until then.

A return to the global stage: Al Mashat brings 25 years of experience in economic policy and development finance to the UN post. Before her eight-year cabinet run — which concluded in February — she served as sub-governor for monetary policy at the Central Bank of Egypt. She started her career as the youngest economist at the IMF at age 25, later returning as an advisor to its chief economist, and has held board seats across major African and European development banks.