UNDP
Leadership
Achim Steiner
Administrator
Achim Steiner became UNDP Administrator on 19 June 2017. The United Nations General Assembly confirmed his appointment following his nomination by Secretary-General António Guterres. In April 2021, the General Assembly confirmed his appointment to a second four-year term beginning in June 2021.
Mr. Steiner is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group, which unites 40 entities of the UN system that work to support sustainable development.
Over nearly three decades, Achim Steiner has been a global leader on sustainable development, climate resilience and international cooperation. He has worked tirelessly to champion sustainability, economic growth and equality for the vulnerable, and has been a vocal advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prior to joining UNDP, he was Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professorial Fellow of Balliol College, University of Oxford. Mr Steiner has served across the United Nations system, looking at global challenges from both a humanitarian and a development perspective. He led the United Nations Environment Programme (2006-2016), helping governments invest in clean technologies and renewable energy. He was also Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi. Achim Steiner previously held other notable positions including Director General of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and Secretary General of the World Commission on Dams.
Achim Steiner has lived and worked in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the United States. He graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (MA) from Worcester College, Oxford University and holds an MA from the University of London/School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).
Haoliang Xu
UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator
Haoliang Xu was appointed UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator by the United Nations Secretary-General in June 2023.
He previously served as UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and was UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific from September 2013 to July 2019.
Prior to this, he served as Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in New York (2010-2013); UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan (2007-2010); Country Director in Pakistan (2005-2007); Deputy Resident Representative for Programme, Pakistan (2004-2005); Country Manager and Senior Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Timor-Leste (2002-2004); Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Iran (2000-2002); Programme Manager, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, New York (1997-1999); Programme Officer/Junior Professional Officer, UNDP Kazakhstan (1995-1997).
Before joining the UN, Mr. Xu was a computer-aided design engineer with Louis Berger International Inc. in New Jersey and an assistant lecturer at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.
Mr. Xu, a Chinese national, holds a Bachelors in Engineering from Tongji University (China), and a Masters’ of Science in Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology (USA). He also holds a Masters’ of International Affairs in Economic Development and Policy Analysis from Columbia University (USA).
Abdallah Al Dardari
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP
Regional Bureau for Arab States
On 14 March 2023, the UN Secretary General appointed Abdallah Al Dardari of Syria as the UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States.
Al Dardari served as UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan since 2019, when joining from the World Bank, where he was a Senior Adviser.
He started his professional career in 1986 as an international affairs writer and bureau chief of the pan - Arab newspaper “Al Hayat” and then became the Economist at the London office of the League of Arab States.
From 1994 to 1997, he served as Programme Officer in UNDP Syria country office and then joined the Arab Trade Financing Programme/Arab Monetary Fund group as Chief of the Trade Promotion section.
He was appointed in 2003 as Chairman of the State Planning Commission in Syria, a function he held until 2005, when he became Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs.
He further served as Chief Economist with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in 2011 and later, Deputy Executive Secretary, where he led the efforts for understanding conflict dynamics in the Arab region.
Al Dardari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Richmond College in London, UK, a Master's in International Relations from the University of Southern California, US, and an interdisciplinary PhD in post-conflict reconstruction from Università Iuav di Venezia, Italy.
He also studied international relations at the London School of Economics, UK.
He is fluent in Arabic, English and French, with an understanding of Russian and Turkish.
Susan Brown
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy
Susan Brown (Swiss) is UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
A senior advocacy, policy and communications expert, Susan Brown comes to UNDP with a strong track record and commitment to the development of good public policy as well as sustainable development advocacy and financing. Her most recent work was providing strategic advisory, advocacy, policy and communications support to various international organisations in the fields of sustainable development, gender and public health.
Prior to this, from 2016 to 2022, she was Director of Public Policy Engagement at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, a public private partnership of WHO, UNICEF, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, civil society, the private sector and government partners. From 2005 to 2016, she worked at WWF International, one of the world’s largest conservation organizations, active in more than 100 countries - for the last 6 years as Director of Global and Regional Policy and Head of the Policy and External Affairs Cluster, achieving significant outcomes for the organization across multilateral dialogues over all areas of sustainable development. Prior to this Susan worked as a print journalist from 2000-2005, as a senior advisor in the Australian Federal Parliament from 1994 -2000 and from 1993-94 as Coordinator of the North Queensland Conservation Council.
Susan brings a deep understanding of geopolitical dynamics and decision-making processes. She has built strong relationships with governments, global institutions and civil society organizations at the executive level and led global network teams to significant recognition of their objectives in major international processes and forums.
In 2016, Susan was acknowledged as an “Inspirational Women in Geneva Working for the Environment” by the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions and Geneva Environment Network. She has an Executive Master's degree in Environmental Governance and Policy-Making from the Geneva Graduate Institute and a Bachelor of Social Science in Social and Environmental Assessment and Policy, from RMIT University in Melbourne.
Susan is a Swiss national, growing up in Australia before she moved to Switzerland in 2005.
Linda Maguire
UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Management Services
Ms. Linda Maguire is Assistant Secretary General, Assistant Administrator and Director, Bureau for Management Services (BMS) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Ms. Maguire is also UNDP’s Chief Procurement Officer and a member of UNDP’s Executive Group responsible for shaping and monitoring UNDP’s overall corporate strategic directions.
Ms. Maguire leads the bureau responsible for providing advisory and support services to UNDP and UN agencies in its core functional areas which are: Financial Resources Management, including budget; Human Resources; Procurement; Information Technology; Legal Affairs; Security; General Operations and Multi-Partner Trust Funds, with each of these offices reporting directly to Ms. Maguire. Ms. Maguire also manages the Organizations’ compliance and risk management, development of management policies, regulations and rules, information networks, while ensuring the development of corporate services that are customer focused.
Ms. Maguire’s previous appointments within UNDP include Deputy Regional Director in the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, Resident Representative and Supervisor of the UNDP Regional Hub in Panama and UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Paraguay; Chief of Country/Oversight Support with UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa; and a Senior Policy Advisor, with the Democratic Governance Group in Mexico and in the Bureau for Development Policy (BDP). Ms. Maguire also served as an Evaluation Specialist in the Evaluation Office in New York and started her career with UNDP as Advisor and Special Assistant to the Director, Management Development and Governance Division, with BDP in New York.
Prior to joining UNDP, she was a Senior Program Officer for West Africa at the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in Washington, D.C., Côte d'Ivoire, and Mali. She started her career with the New York County District Attorney's Office.
A national of the United States of America, Ms. Maguire holds a Master degree of Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University, USA and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Tufts University. She speaks three languages (English, French and Spanish) and is a passionate advocate for sustainable, just, and peaceful future for all.
Ahunna Eziakonwa
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa
Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa officially began her role as UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Africa on August 15th, 2018. In this role she leads UNDP’s work supporting 46 countries in Africa to achieve Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Prior to taking up this post, Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie was UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative and UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia (2015-2018), UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Uganda (2012-2015), and before that held the same position in Lesotho (2008-2012). She has also worked as Chief of the Africa Section for Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) where she managed over 15 country operations in Africa. Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Eziakonwa held a series of senior positions with civil society organisations in Africa.
Ms. Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochie holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs with a focus on economic and political development in Africa from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York. Ms. Eziakonwa-Onochie is personally passionate about broadening the space for engaging youth and women in sustainable development.
Michelle Muschett
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
Michelle Muschett (Panama) is UN Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
She is a social policy and global development specialist with multisectoral experience in a wide variety of leadership positions.
During her tenure as Deputy Minister and Minister of Social Development of Panama, Ms. Muschett led the process of developing the first national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), the creation of the first Childhood MPI in the Latin America region, and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the national level through civic participation and strategic partnerships. She also chaired the National Concertation Council for Development, a legally established dialogue space aimed at building consensus amongst different sectors of society on national development priorities.
Prior this appointment, Ms. Muschett was serving as Senior Public Policy Advisor and Executive Education Director for Oxford’s Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), advising governments and policymakers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in their efforts to address multidimensional poverty. She is also Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor for the Fourth Sector Group, providing guidance on how to mobilize collective leadership and action to scale business models that can deliver social and environmental benefits, and to leverage development finance to accelerate the transition towards more inclusive, sustainable and resilient economic systems globally.
She has been a visiting professor and lecturer at academic institutions across Asia, Europe, and Latin America, focusing on human and social development, politics of the policy process, political innovation, and leadership for global citizenship. She is a Fellow of the Central America Leadership Initiative, a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and a member the International Women’s Forum, Panama Chapter.
As a practicing lawyer, Ms. Muschett focuses on issues related to commercial law and international arbitration. She has also participated in the drafting of national legislation.
Ms. Muschett holds a master’s degrees in Public Administration from Cornell University, United States; Commercial Law from Externado University of Colombia; and Management of Heritage and Cultural Projects from the Institute for Art and Restauration Palazzo Spinelli, Italy. She speaks Spanish, English, and Italian.
Marcos Athias Neto
UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support
United Nations Secretary-General announced the appointment of Mr. Marcos Athias Neto of Brazil as UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) on 30 October 2023.
He assumed his responsibilities in BPPS from 1 November 2023.
Mr. Neto has served as the Director of UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, leading UNDP’s work on sustainable finance in more than 40 countries in collaboration with other UN agencies and partners.
As the Head of the G20 Sustainable Finance Working Group Secretariat, Mr. Neto also co-chaired the Executive Boards of the Business Call to Action and the Connecting Business Initiative. Mr. Neto has more than 25 years of experience in the field of development, and more recently in finance and private-sector development.
Prior to joining UNDP, Mr. Neto served at the CARE International for 17 years, in roles including Regional Manager for Asia and Latin America, CARE UK, Executive Director of CARE, Brazil, and Programme Director for Central America.
A lawyer by training, Mr. Neto holds a master's degree in law from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.
Shoko Noda
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Bureau
Ms. Shoko Noda began her role as UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Bureau on 13 November 2023. In this role, Ms Noda leads the delivery of UNDP’s Crisis Offer, which supports countries to anticipate, prevent, respond to and recover from crisis, every day, and in every development context.
Throughout her 25-year UN career, Ms Noda has gained extensive experience working in crisis and post-conflict settings. Starting out as a Junior Professional Officer in Tajikistan and Kosovo in 1998, Ms Noda went on to become Assistant Resident Representative in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, where she led the Crisis Prevention and Recovery Cluster in 2001 - 2002; and Chef de Cabinet to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, advising the DSRSG on development and humanitarian matters in 2005.
Ms Noda has also served as Early Recovery Coordination Advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan after the devastating disaster in 2005; Programme Specialist to the UNDP Administrator in New York; and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Mongolia, where she led the Early Recovery Programme and managed the response to a humanitarian crisis caused by extreme winter weather.
During her tenure as UNDP Country Director in Nepal, she worked to improve the office’s capacity for post disaster operations, and as UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Maldives, she coordinated UN response to a political crisis in cooperation with DPPA and OHCHR while also acting as the UN’s Designated Official.
Immediately prior to joining the Crisis Bureau, Ms Noda served as Resident Representative for the UNDP India Country Office. She was at the helm through the COVID-19 crisis, supporting and inspiring her team to adapt existing programmes to respond to emerging needs, and ensure that UNDP continued to deliver during the crisis. She also led UNDP’s engagement with India’s G20 Presidency at the country level. The Country Office also received official recognition for its efforts to improve gender equality across all of its work under her leadership.
Ms. Noda holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Keio University, Japan. She started her professional career as Researcher in the Behavioural Sciences Department, Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc. in Tokyo.
Kanni Wignaraja
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
Ms. Kanni Wignaraja began her role as UNDP’s Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific on 18 November 2019. Before, Ms. Wignaraja served as the Acting Assistant Administrator and Director of UNDP’s Bureau of Management Services and as Special Adviser to the UNDP Administrator, roles that she performed throughout 2019 after working as the Director of the UN Development Operations Coordination Office from 2014 to 2018.
Ms. Wignaraja has over twenty-five years of experience of the UN’s mission and UNDP’s role in the sustainable development agenda. She has a deep knowledge of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the global, regional and country level workings of UNDP, across policy, programme, management and operations.
Prior to joining the UN, Kanni worked with the Ford Foundation in New York. Kanni has contributed to numerous papers, articles and conferences in areas of public policy, institutional reform, capacity development, human rights and leadership.
Ms. Wignaraja holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration (Development Economics) from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bryn Mawr College. She is married and has two children.
Ivana Živković
UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS
Ms. Ivana Živković is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Ms. Živković also serves, together with the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Europe, as the Co-Vice Chair of the Regional Collaborative Platform for Europe and Central Asia (RCP), which unites all UN entities working on development for the 2030 Agenda. The RCP is chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General.
Ms. Živković is a Croatian career diplomat with more than 25 years of experience. She most recently served as Director-General for Economic Affairs and Development Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. She held various positions in the field of development, regional cooperation, trade and economic diplomacy and was posted to Stockholm and New York. She played a leading role in setting up the framework for international development cooperation in Croatia. During Croatia’s Presidency of the Council of the EU, she has coordinated both trade and development teams.
Ms. Živković holds a Master’s degree in International Economics from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Zagreb.