The gift, a traditional horse saddle, was presented to Ms. Zwede during a ceremony following of the official opening of the 27th session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
This present is a tribute to the efforts of the Director General of UNON, who said she was honored by such a gesture. "I'm very honored by the gesture of His Majesty King Mohammed VI," she told MAP, adding that this reflects "the support we receive from Morocco and we will make sure that that this present is seen and appreciated by the visitors of UNON headquarters in Nairobi."
Morocco is one of the first countries to offer a present to the Director General of UNON along with China and Germany.
Ms. Zwede is of Ethiopian nationality. Before heading UNON, she served as her country's non- resident ambassador to Morocco during the period 2004-2006.
The 27th session of the UNEP's Governing Council, February 18-22, will discuss how UNEP can advance and implement the outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development Conference (Rio+20).
The opening session was marked by a speech read on behalf of Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon, and a statement by the Executive Director of UNEP.