The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, is pleased to appoint the Revd Canon Joanna Udal to serve as the Secretary for Anglican Communion Affairs, based at Lambeth Palace.

She said: "It's an exciting time to be involved as we try to build on the positive encounters of the Lambeth Conference and to rebuild mutual trust and recognition. We're challenged to keep uppermost that God's mission is for the world, as together we seek to be conformed to Christ in our identity and in our common life."

Since 2001, Canon Joanna has been serving in the Sudan as Assistant to the Archbishop of the Sudan, an appointment made jointly through the Church Mission Society and Lambeth Palace. In this work she has traveled widely in Sudan and internationally, supporting the Archbishop in his public ministry.

In a period marked by violent conflict in Sudan, peace-building and advocacy have been an important focus of her work. As a member of the church's Justice, Peace and Reconciliation Commission, she has participated in peace-building workshops in many parts of the country and in 2008 she facilitated a national peace conference bringing together church leaders and community chiefs and representatives from all parts of the Sudan.