Beginning 1 January 2023, the USG and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, has assumed the role of Coordinator of the Regional Commissions on a rotating basis for 2023.
Ms. Alisjahbana takes over the role from the outgoing Coordinator, Ms Olga Algayerova, USG and Executive Secretary of UNECE. The Coordinating Regional Commission takes lead in fostering dialogue among the Executive Secretaries and steering the strategic direction priorities for the joint work of the Regional Commissions. It also represents the Commissions in high-level intergovernmental meetings in the framework of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the General Assembly, and those convened by the Secretary-General as well as in interagency forums such as the UN Sustainable Development Group.
In her remarks during the handover meeting held on 19 January, Ms. Algayerova shared an overview of the work of the Coordinator in 2022 and highlighted areas of collaboration among the Regional Commissions.
Ms Alisjahbana thanked Ms Algayerova for her leadership and the UNECE team for their support and committed to advancing the priorities of the Regional Commissions, in particular in the context of the SDG Summit and the midpoint review of the SDGs and the operationalization of the recommendations of the Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda” report.
See the bio of the USG & ES of ESCAP here: https://www.unescap.org/executive-secretary
Follow her on Twitter: @UN_Armida