UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations on Thursday congratulated Sahle-Work Zewde, a UN undersecretary-general, on her election as the first female president of Ethiopia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received a phone call on Wednesday from Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who informed him of the news, said Farhan Haq, Guerres' deputy spokesman.
"The secretary-general congratulated the government and people of Ethiopia on that choice," Haq told reporters on Thursday.
"We know her and her work very well," he said, referring to the fact that Sahle-Work currently serves as Guterres' special representative to the African Union and head of the UN Office to the African Union.
The president of the UN General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, also congratulated Sahle-Work.
Espinosa wished success to Sahle-Work, who sets an example for women in Africa and beyond, said Monica Grayley, Espinosa's spokeswoman, on Thursday.
"Women do make a difference in politics," said Espinosa, who took pride of the fact that a former UN official has become Ethiopia's first female president.
Bolivian ambassador to the United Nations Sacha Llorenti, who was presiding over a Security Council meeting as president of the council for the month of October, broke protocol to congratulate Sahle-Work.
At the beginning of a high-level debate on women, peace and security, Llorenti said: "Allow me, please, to break protocol."
"We all woke up this morning with very good news: today the first woman president was elected in Ethiopia -- Madame Sahle-Work Zewde. I think it's a very good (thing) to start this important debate," said Llorenti to applause in the chamber.
Sahle-Work has been approved by Ethiopia's parliament as president after the resignation of President Mulatu Teshome. The appointment of a female president has significant symbolic meaning although the position of president is ceremonial in Ethiopia.
Sahle-Work is an experienced diplomat. She was head of the UN Office at Nairobi before her current job at the United Nations.
Before that she was the special representative and head of the UN Integrated Peacebuilding Office in the Central African Republic and Ethiopia's ambassador to the African Union and the UN Economic Commission for Africa, as well as director-general for African affairs in the Foreign Ministry of Ethiopia.
Educated in France, she also served as the Ethiopian ambassador to France and to the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Sahle-Work had also served as ambassador to Djibouti and Senegal.
