Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Microalgae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), an inter-governmental organisation with Observer Status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), has appointed Asif Ayoob as the new Assistant Secretary-General. Ayoob, 30, is the youngest person to hold this senior post.

IIMSAM Secretary-General Remigio Maradona delegated Ayoob to lead the institution’s high-level delegation to the Second African Union Climate Summit (ACS2), hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from September 5 to 10, 2025. The summit convened African heads of state, ministers, UN agencies, international organizations, and civil society leaders to build consensus on urgent measures to address climate change across the continent.

Ayoob underlined the critical link between global warming and hunger:

“Climate change is not only an environmental crisis but a humanitarian emergency. Hunger and malnutrition remain among the gravest threats to human dignity and development. IIMSAM is advancing innovative, climate-smart solutions—particularly through Spirulina—to help eradicate hunger while supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.”

Asif Ayoob holds a degree in Civil Engineering from TKM College of Engineering and a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Wisconsin–Parkside, USA.