About the Resident Coordinator Office
In Papua New Guinea, the United Nations system is led by the UN Resident Coordinator, with the support of the Resident Coordinator’s Office. The UN Resident Coordinator is the highest-ranking UN representative of the Secretary General in-country and is extended the same status and courtesies as are accorded to a diplomatic mission and head of mission.
The Resident Coordinator leads the UN Country Team which is comprised of the representatives of UN entities active in Papua New Guinea. The UN Country Team is working together to capitalize on the strengths and comparative advantages of the UN System in-country, to increase impact through coherent programmes, as well as to reduce transaction costs for government and the UN.
The Secretary General’s General Assembly Resolution 72/279 on the repositioning of the United Nations Development System mandates bold changes for the emergence of a new generation of Country Teams, centred on a strategic Programme with the Government and led by an impartial, independent and empowered UN Resident Coordinator to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea
Ms. Shalini Bahuguna is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea.
Ms. Bahuguna brings more than 20 years of experience in leading multi‑disciplinary and culturally diverse teams in development, humanitarian, transitional, post‑conflict and peacebuilding contexts across Asia and Africa. She most recently facilitated the development of the Artificial Intelligence strategy of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Accenture. She has also served as UNICEF Representative in Tanzania, where she oversaw programmes supporting national development priorities and strengthened partnerships to advance child rights. She took on this role after working as UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ethiopia and Myanmar, as well as Chief of Social Policy and Gender with UNICEF Nigeria.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Bahuguna worked as an aid manager and social development professional with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) in India, China, Indonesia and Afghanistan. She began her career with a water and sanitation non‑governmental organization in India and later supported the Government of India and the World Bank water sector reform programme.
Ms. Bahuguna holds a master’s degree in development economics and international development from the University of Swansea in the United Kingdom.
