New York – Former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has been tapped to head gender equality body UN Women, diplomats said on Wednesday, replacing former Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, who stepped down to pursue another presidential bid in Chile.

Mlambo-Ngcuka, 57, was deputy president between 2005 and 2008.

Bachelet stepped down in March after leading UN Women, a body for gender equality and the empowerment of women, since it was created in 2010 by the UN General Assembly.

– Reuters