United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Shoko Noda of Japan as Assistant Administrator and Director of the Crisis Bureau of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  She succeeds Asako Okai, to whom the
Secretary-General has expressed his appreciation for her service and commitment to the Organization. 

Ms. Noda is currently the UNDP Resident Representative in India.  Previously, she was the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in the Republic of Maldives.  Throughout her long United Nations career, Ms. Noda served in several capacities, notably as UNDP’s Country Director in Nepal, UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Mongolia, Recovery Coordination Adviser to the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, Chef de Cabinet to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Assistant Resident Representative in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.  She also worked in New York Headquarters as Programme Specialist in the UNDP Administrator’s Office.

Ms. Noda’s professional career began in 1995, when she was Researcher in the Behavioural Sciences Department, Mitsubishi Research Institute Inc. in Tokyo, Japan.  She joined UNDP as a Junior Professional Officer in 2000, where she served in Kosovo and Tajikistan.

Ms. Noda holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from Keio University, Japan.  She is fluent in Japanese and English, with knowledge of French and Russian.