Maimunah Mohd Sharif is currently Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia’s Special Envoy for Sustainable Urbanisation. She is a member of the International Advisory Committee to the COP29 Presidency on urbanisation and climate change.

Previously, Mme Maimunah was the Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) from 2018 to 2024. Before joining the United Nations, she made history as the 1st woman President of the Seberang Perai Municipal Council and subsequently Mayor of the Penang Island City Council in Malaysia.

A professional town planner, Mme Maimunah is an Honorary Member of the Royal Town Planners’ Institute in the United Kingdom. She is also an Honorary Fellow of United Cities & Local Governments (UCLG), where she previously served as Vice President of UCLG Asia Pacific. Additionally, she is a Fellow of the King’s Foundation in the United Kingdom, contributing her expertise in urban regeneration, and serves on the Jury Panel of the prestigious Lee Kuan Yew World Cities Prize, The Global Award for Sustainable Development in Cities (Shanghai Award) and also Seoul Smart City Award.