TORONTO: Indian Appointed As Under-Secretary-General, Associate Administrator Of UN Development Programme

TORONTO: Leading investment professional
Usha Rao-Monari of India has been appointed by UN Secretary General Antonio
Guterres as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

A
statement issued by the UN Spokesperson on Wednesday said that Rao-Monari,
senior adviser to Blackstone’s Infrastructure Group, is an investment
professional with almost three decades of investment experience, particularly
in the infrastructure area.

Rao-Monari
previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Global Water Development
Partners, a Blackstone portfolio company, and held several senior positions,
including Director of the Sustainable Business Advisory Group at the
International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group, the statement
said.

She
currently serves on the Boards of a number 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, it added.

Guterres
expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Mourad Wahba of Egypt for his
commitment as Associate Administrator ad interim and 30 years of service in the
United Nations. He also voiced appreciation to Tegegnework Gettu of Ethiopia
for his long-standing career at the United Nations and for his significant
contributions to the development agenda as UNDP”s Associate Administrator.

Rao-Monari
holds a Master”s degree in International Affairs and Finance from Columbia
University”s School of International and Public Affairs/School of Business, a
Master”s degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of
Management in Mumbai and a B.A. Honours Economics from Delhi University.

The
announcement of her appointment comes just two days after the UN Capital
Development Fund (UNCDF), which focusses on providing micro-finance access to
least developed countries (LDCs), said Preeti Sinha has commenced her tenure as
Executive Secretary of the UN agency.

In 2019,
Anita Bhatia of India, an experienced leader in the area of strategic partnerships,
resource mobilisation and management, was appointed by Guterres as Assistant
Secretary-General for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships and
Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and
the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).