Kang Min-whee named chief of mission at IOM UN Migration

Kang Min-whee, 57, has been appointed as the new chief of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). A veteran U.N. official, she began her job last month at the organization, which is often branded as IOM U.N. Migration following its integration into the U.N. system.

Kang has rich experience fostering
partnerships across governments, the U.N. system and diverse stakeholders. She is expected to further
position migration as a key driver of sustainable development while strengthening cooperation
between Korea and the international community.

"Migration is one of the defining global issues of our time, intersecting with climate change, conflict,
disasters, labor and demographic change," Kang said in a press release. "As the Republic of Korea continues to
play an increasingly important role on the global stage, IOM looks forward to deepening its
collaboration not only with the government, but also with civil society and the private sector to
advance safe, orderly and regular migration."

Kang began her U.N. career as a junior professional officer in 1998 working at the International Labor Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. She has since held various policy, external relations and leadership roles at major U.N. entities including the United Nations Development Programme, the
United Nations Children’s Fund, U.N. Women and the World Health Organization (WHO). At her most recent post at the WHO, she served as a senior adviser in the Office of the Director-General at WHO headquarters in Geneva. Holding one of the most senior jobs for Korean women in U.N. in that post, she supported high-level engagement with member states and global partners, while leading strategic coordination on key global priorities and fostering inter-agency collaboration.

A graduate of Ewha Womans University, she earned a master’s degree in English studies and linguistics from Sorbonne Nouvelle Université de Paris 3 in France. She also completed advanced studies in social sciences at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS-Paris) in France.