Newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator Ms. Shalini Bahuguna presents her credentials to Prime Minister Marape

Port Moresby, 21 April 2026 — The newly appointed United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Ms. Shalini Bahuguna, was honored and privileged to present her Letter of Credence from the United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Rt. Hon. James Marape, marking the formal commencement of her term in the country.

The official presentation took place at the Office of the Prime Minister in Port Moresby and was attended by Prime Minister Marape, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Justin Tkatchenko, Chief Secretary Ivan Pomaleu and witnessed by government officials.

In his address, Prime Minister Marape congratulated Ms. Bahuguna on her appointment and welcomed her to Papua New Guinea, noting the strong partnership between the country and the United Nations. Reflecting on his engagement with past Resident Coordinators, he expressed optimism for continued close collaboration during her tenure.

Ms. Bahuguna thanked the Prime Minister and his Government for the warm welcome and conveyed greetings from the United Nations Secretary General to the Government and people of Papua New Guinea. In presenting her credentials, Ms. Bahuguna reaffirmed the UN’s full support to the Government, remarking on the country’s exceptional natural and human wealth, and commending Prime Minister Marape on championing multilateralism:

“PNG is a beautiful country; I see richness in the environment and the people. Together, we will continue to support national priorities through coordinated and inclusive action that delivers results for all”.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Marape and Ms. Bahuguna exchanged views on strengthening cooperation across key priority areas, including sustainable development, gender equality, disaster preparedness, climate resilience and biodiversity protection, continued dialogue on the Bougainville peace process, and investing in the people of Papua New Guinea. These areas of collaboration are anchored within the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2024–2028, now in its third year of implementation, and aligned with Papua New Guinea’s development agenda, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Reset 50.

As the Resident Coordinator, Ms. Bahuguna is the representative of the UN Secretary General in PNG and leads the UN Country Team, comprising 21 resident and non-resident UN agencies, funds, and programmes. She has more than 20 years of experience within the United Nations system, leading multidisciplinary teams across development, humanitarian, post conflict, and peace-building contexts in Asia and Africa and has held senior leadership roles with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

Ms. Bahuguna assumed her role on 1 April, succeeding her predecessor, Dr. Richard Howard. She looks forward to building on the strong foundation established by Dr. Howard and previous Resident Coordinators, while further strengthening the United Nations’ partnership with the Government and people of Papua New Guinea.
 

###