About the Leadership Team
The appointment of senior leaders is one the most significant responsibilities of the Secretary-General, in his capacity as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization. The Secretary-General attaches the utmost importance and exercises with great care, the discretionary authority that is vested in him by the General Assembly for the appointment of senior leaders.
The Secretary-General has established a recruitment and selection process to advertise and search for the most suitable person for a particular leadership position. The process carefully balances the need for securing the transparency and impartiality of the process with the need to share information with Member States and the public, while protecting the confidentiality and privacy of the candidates.
The Secretary-General is also committed to ensuring that there is gender parity among his senior leadership team and that senior leaders who fall under his direct authority are appointed from as wide a geographical basis as possible: in the Departments and Offices of the Secretariat, Peacekeeping Operations and Special Political Missions, the Regional Commissions, Funds and Programmes and Other Entities.
While the Secretary-General has in most cases the ultimate authority to make the final selection, some senior positions are governed by specific General Assembly and Security Council resolutions with stipulations placed on their appointment process ranging from term limits to consultations with intergovernmental bodies, Member States and Board Members upon nomination by the Secretary-General.
Major General Diodato Abagnara
Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
Omar Abdi
Assistant Secretary-General, Deputy Executive Director (Programmes)
Movses Abelian
Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management
Angeli Achrekar
Deputy Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Abdallah Al Dardari
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States
Nada Youssef A. Al Nashif
Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
Ramiz Alakbarov
Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
Inger La Cour Andersen
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
Major-General Anita Asmah
Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
Mohamed Ag Ayoya
Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic
Sima Sami Iskandar Bahous
Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Zainab Hawa Bangura
Director-General of the United Nations Office at Nairobi
Natalie Boucly
Deputy Commissioner-General (Programmes and Partnerships) of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
John Brandolino
Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Acting Director-General of the United Nations Office at Vienna
Ilze Brands Kehris
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights and Head, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in New York
Susan Brown
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy
Lisa M. Buttenheim
Assistant Secretary-General for Support Operations and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations International School
Winifred Karagwa Byanyima
Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona
Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
Ted Chaiban
Deputy Executive Director, Humanitarian Action and Supply Operations
Kelly Tallman Clements
Deputy High Commissioner in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Pamela Rosemarie Coke-Hamilton
Executive Director of the International Trade Centre
George Conway
Deputy Special Representative for Somalia with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia and Resident Coordinator in Somalia
Andrea Cook
Executive Director of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group System-Wide Evaluation Office
Claudio Cordone
Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria
Rania Dagash-Kamara
Assistant Executive Director, Partnerships and Innovation
Alexander de Croo
Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
Antonia Marie De Meo
Deputy Commissioner-General (Operational Support) of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Staffan de Mistura
Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara
Khassim Diagne
Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus
Rosemary DiCarlo
Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
Peter Nicolaisen Due
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo
Ahunna Eziakonwa
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa
Mohamed Fall
Assistant Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria
Rabab Fatima
High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States
Oscar Fernandez-Taranco
Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination
Tom Fletcher
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
Yasmine Fouad
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
Alayne Frankson-Wallace
Executive Director of the Office of Administration of Justice
Vanessa Frazier
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict
Barrie Lynne Freeman
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa and the Sahel
Nathalie Fustier
Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Syria
Georgette Gagnon
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political)
Claver Gatete
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
Anita Kiki Gbeho
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS)
Robin Geiss
Director of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
Natalia Gherman
Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate
Amandeep Singh Gill
Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies
Lieutenant General Ulisses De Mesquita Gomes
Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Hans Grundberg
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen
Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda
Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Programme Results
Michelle Gyles-McDonnough
Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Noura Hamladji
Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Elinor Jane Britt Hammarskjöld
Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel
Selwin Charles Hart
Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert
Special Coordinator for Lebanon and Head of the United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator for Lebanon
María Angela Holguín Cuéllar
Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus
Matthew Hollingworth
Assistant Executive Director, Programme Operations
Annemarie Hwa Hou
Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Partnerships
Kaha Imnadze
Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia
Ghulam Mohammad Isaczai
Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq and Head of Liquidation Entity
Alexander Ivanko
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Western Sahara and Head of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara
Miroslav Jenča
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia
Li Junhua
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Bernardo Mariano Joaquim Junior
Chief Information Technology Officer
Diene Keita
Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund
Khaled Khiari
Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific
Kamal Kishore
Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction
Nicole Flora Boni Kouassi
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator
Nicholas Koumjian
Head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar est by the HRC in res 39/2 of 27 Sept 2018, to Collect, Consolidate, Preserve and Analyse Evidence of the Most Serious Int'l Crimes and Violations of Int'l Law C'tted by Myanmar since 2011 (IIMM)
Stephanie Koury
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs
Jean-Pierre François Renaud Lacroix
Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations
Philippe Lazzarini
Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Bruno Lemarquis
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in the DR Congo
Cristina Isabel Lopes da Silva Monteiro Duarte
Special Adviser on Africa
Martha Helena Lopez
Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources
Najat Maalla
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
Kirsi Madi
Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability, Partnerships
Linda Maguire
Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Management Services
Deodat Maharaj
Managing Director of the United Nations Technology Bank for the Least Developed Countries
Aarti Holla Maini
Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
Johnny Graham Maitland
Acting Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Political)
Carlos Gabriel Ruiz Massieu Aguirre
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Haiti and Head of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti
Cindy Hensley McCain
Executive Director of the World Food Programme
Ruvendrini Menikdiwela
Assistant High Commissioner for Protection
Tatiana Molcean
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Miguel Ángel Moratinos Cuyaubé
High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations
Jorge Moreira da Silva
Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services
Pedro Manuel Moreno
Acting Secretary General and Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
Joyce Cleopa Msuya Mpanju
Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator
Elizabeth Maruma Mrema
Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme
Michelle Marie Muschett Zimmermann
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Fatoumata Ndiaye
Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services
Marcos Athias Neto
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support
Cherith Ann Norman Chalet
Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management
Maria Ligia Do Rosario Noronha
Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the New York Office
Sanda Ojiambo
Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations Global Compact
Matthew Ogbonnia Ozonnia Ojielo
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia
Stephen Omollo
Assistant Executive Director for Workplace Culture and Management
Parfait Onanga-Anyanga
Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the African Union and Head of the United Nations Office to the African Union
Pramila Patten
Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Robert Petit
Head of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism Investigating Serious Crimes in Syria
Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee
Assistant Secretary-General for Africa
Catherine Pollard
Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance
Karla Irasema Quintana Osuna
Head of the Independent Institution on Missing Persons in the Syrian Arab Republic
Chandramouli Ramanathan
Controller, Assistant Secretary-General for Programme Planning, Finance and Budget
Ingeborg Ulrika Ulfsdotter Richardson
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and Resident Coordinator in Libya
Imran Riza
Deputy Special Coordinator and Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon
Raúl Yamandu Rosende Rodriguez
Deputy Special Representative and Deputy Head of the United Nations Verification Mission in Colombia
Anacláudia Marinheiro Centeno Rossbach
Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Valentine Rugwabiza
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and Head of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic
Catherine Mary Russell
Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund
Qurat Ul Ain Sadozai
Ad Interim Head of the United Nations Support Office in Somalia
José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Major General Ramón Guardado Sánchez
Head of Mission and Chief Military Observer for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
Bjørg Sandkjær
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination
Christian Saunders
Special Coordinator on improving United Nations response to sexual exploitation and abuse
Matthias Schmale
Assistant Secretary-General, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine
Astrid Schomaker
Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
MG Ganesh Kumar Shrestha
Acting Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei
Leonardo Santos Simão
Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel and Chair of the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission
Hanaa Singer
Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Mali
Elizabeth Mary Spehar
Assistant Secretary-General for Peacebuilding and Peace Support
Simon Emmanuel Kervin Stiell
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
James Swan
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Abubacarr Marie Tambadou
Registrar of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
Mika Markus Tapio
Executive Secretary of the Joint Inspection Unit
Hanna Serwaa Tetteh
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya
Tatiana Valovaya
Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva and Secretary-General of the Conference on Disarmament
Vivian van de Perre
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Protection and Operations of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
AnneMarie van den Berg
Assistant Secretary-General for Supply Chain Management
Kitty van der Heijden
Deputy Executive Director, Partnerships
Robert Joseph van der Zee
Representative of the Secretary-General for the investment of the assets of the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund
Leif Villadsen
Acting Director, United Nations Interegional Crime and Justice Research Institute
Unaisi Lutu Vuniwaqa
Assistant Secretary-General for Safety and Security
Mourad Youssef Magdi Wahba
Acting Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Kanni Wignaraja
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific
Huang Xia
Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region
Haoliang Xu
Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme
Raisedon Zenenga
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Somalia
Ivana Živković
Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
Alexandre Zouev
Acting Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism