Bangladesh national Ameerah Haq has been appointed Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative for Timor-Leste and Head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

She will take office in Dili, Timor-Leste on January 5, says a press release.

Ameerah Haq is the highest-ranking UN staff from Bangladesh and the first woman from Bangladesh to reach this level.

She served as Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sudan, and prior to that, as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan. In both cases, she also held the position of UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of UNDP.