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
Mr Richard Howard is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea.
Over more than 30 years, he has acquired an impressive portfolio in management and research, economic growth, gender equality and inclusion.
Before taking up his role in PNG, Mr Howard was the United Nations Resident Coordinator ad-interim in Nepal, where he also served as Country Director of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Mr. Howard worked as Senior Regional Specialist with ILO in Thailand. He was Chief Technical Advisor to Private Sector Partnerships on Health for Internal Migrants, in China.
A Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia with research focusing on gender, ethnicity, and national identity, Mr Howard is a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from the University of Illinois, Chicago and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Carolina.
On 7 December 2022, he was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as the UN Resident Coordinator for Papua New Guinea.
