UJ’s Professor Tshilidzi Marwala is appointed as rector of the United Nations University

University of Johannesburg (UJ) council celebrates the appointment of Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, the university’s vice-chancellor and principal as the rector of the United Nations University (UNU) in Tokyo, Japan.

UJ’s council chairperson Mike Teke congratulated Professor Marwala, “On behalf of UJ, we are proud of Prof Marwala for taking the reins of leadership as the first African to assume the role. A university is predicated on the various components that come together to make it work and we have the right systems and staff in place to ensure that this is a seamless transition. We congratulate Prof Marwala on this outstanding achievement, and we are proud that one of our own has attained such an honour.”

Marwala will be the seventh rector of the UNU, succeeding Prof David Malone of Canada who has been in the role since 2013. The rector is the chief academic and administrative officer of the institution and has overall responsibility for the direction, organization, administration, and programmes of the University. The position carries the rank of United Nations under-secretary-general and requires extensive overseas travel. The initial appointment will be for a five-year term, with the possibility of a second term

The rector position will be effective from March 1, 2023. The decision follows consultations with the director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, Audrey Azoulay, and with her concurrence, United Nations secretary-general António Guterres.

Teke explained Marwala would stay on at the institution for the next eight months to ensure a smooth transition as they undertake the process to identify his successor. “UJ will continue to function as normal under the leadership of Prof Marwala until this process is completed.”

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