New Delhi, Nov 29, 2022: United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Ms Usha Rao-Monari, will be on her first official visit to India beginning Nov 30.
 
During the three-day mission, Ms Rao-Monari will meet key government officials, development partners, private sector leaders and young people to deepen the India-UNDP partnership for development of over 70 years.  
 
The Associate Administrator is expected to meet Mr Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs and Mr Arjun Munda, Minister of Tribal Affairs. She will also call on senior government officials from the Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of External Affairs and NITI Aayog to reaffirm UNDP’s commitment and support to the country’s development priorities and accelerating the progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
  
Ms Rao-Monari will lead roundtable discussions on Digital Public Goods, Sustainable Finance and engage with stakeholders to discuss partnerships on these critical agendas.
 
She will also visit a UNDP-supported material recovery facility in Delhi, where 2,000 metric tonnes of plastic and dry waste is processed annually. 
 
The Plastic Waste Management Programme promotes the collection, separation, and recycling of all types of plastic waste to protect the environment and create a circular economy for plastics. The programme also ensures the well-being and financial inclusion of Safai Sathis or waste pickers by linking them to social protection schemes. She is expected to meet a few Safai Sathis whose lives and livelihoods have improved through the initiative.  
 
UNDP has supported the Government of India in all areas of human development, including systems strengthening, inclusive growth, sustainable livelihoods, climate action, and resilience.
 
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Note to Editors
 
About Ms. Usha Rao Monari
Usha Rao-Monari became Associate Administrator of UNDP on 6 April 2021.

Ms. Rao-Monari has over 30 years of investment experience and has held several senior positions, particularly in the infrastructure area. She previously served as Senior Adviser to Blackstone’s Infrastructure Group, as Chief Executive Officer of Global Water Development Partners, a Blackstone portfolio company, and held several senior positions, notably as Director of the Sustainable Business Advisory Group at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.

She has until recently served on the Boards of a number of organisations in the field of sustainable development and has held a number of Board and advisory positions in the areas of water, natural capital, biodiversity and environment.

Ms. Rao-Monari holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs and Finance, School of International and Public Affairs/School of Business, Columbia University, New York, a Master’s degree in Management Studies, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management, Mumbai, India and a B.A. Honors Economics, Delhi University, New Delhi 
 
About UNDP in India 
UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment, supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all. 

With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. UNDP is committed to supporting the Government of India’s national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet. 
 
For more information, please contact: 
Amrah Ashraf
Head, Communications and Partnerships
amrah.ashraf@undp.org
 
Ankita Bhalla
Communications Officer 
ankita.bhalla@undp.org