The United Nations University (UNU) is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Mónica Serrano to the UNU Council. Prof. Serrano, who will serve a four-year term (2024‒2028), formally took office on 16 April and will participate in the upcoming 81st Session of the UNU Council on 13–14 June 2024.
Dr. Serrano is Professor of International Relations at El Colegio de México. She is also Associate Fellow of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, and a member of the international faculty of the Doctoral Programme in Studies on Organized Crime at L'Università degli Studi di Milano. Prof. Serrano’s research focuses on the interfaces between security, drug trafficking, organized crime and human rights.
Prof. Serrano has previously taught at the University of Oxford, the Institute of Latin American Studies and London University, and she has published extensively on international security and Latin America, with particular reference to international institutions, security, human rights, transnational crime and civil-military relations. Please see Prof. Serrano’s full Council Member profile on the UNU website.
Commenting on her appointment, Prof. Serrano said: "I am thrilled to be joining the UNU Council. It is an honour to take a place alongside such outstanding people, some of whom I already know and admire. I look forward to interesting times!"
Prof. Serrano was jointly appointed to the UNU Council by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in accordance with the UNU Charter, following the sad passing of Council Member Dr. Enrique Forero. Appointed Council members serve in an individual capacity ― not as representatives of their country’s government ― and are selected with an eye to achieving a geographic and gender balance, with due regard to major academic, scientific, educational, and cultural trends and expertise.
In addition to the Council’s 12 appointed members, the 16-member UNU Council includes the UNU Rector and three ex officio members: the United Nations Secretary–General, the UNESCO Director-General, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The main functions of the Council are to formulate the principles and policies of UNU, govern the University’s operations, and consider and approve the UNU biennial work programme and budget.
