Bruno Pouezat, Azerbaijan
Bruno Pouezat, the UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, faces a very specific kind of challenge. A country which, 15 years ago, was in urgent need of massive international assistance is, today, a stable middle-income country expressing a desire to become a donor itself. More...

Alfredo Missair, Nicaragua
Resident Coordinator Alfredo Missair took the bold step of introducing the Millennium Development Goals into Nicaragua’s political arena. He also led efforts to build support for the MDGs across the country and to make policies with them. More...

Petra Lantz, Cape Verde
The stone sculpture outside Cape Verde’s main airport bears a simple, yet evocative, inscription: “Si ka badu ka ta biradu”— Crioulo for “If you don’t leave, you can’t return.” “The words of poet Eugenio Tavares,” says Petra Lantz, the UN Resident Coordinator for the small island nation nestled off the Atlantic coast of West Africa. More...

Jacqui Badcock, Papua New Guinea
Back in 2005, soon after Dr. Jacqui Badcock took up the reins as UN Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, it became clear that this Melanesian state faced a dangerously accelerating problem with HIV/AIDS. The warnings were growing more urgent: in July 2004, the country’s health minister described the situation as a “devastating time bomb.” This was a defining new challenge for the UN. More...

Bishow Parajuli, Myanmar
Bishow Parajuli could scarcely have imagined a more challenging transition to his new post as Resident Coordinator in Myanmar. His predecessor had been expelled, the country was facing major political challenges, and the military government was deeply suspicious of foreign engagement. More...

Jordan Ryan, Liberia
When Jordan Ryan, the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Liberia, first arrived at his new post three years ago, he soon discovered the how much needed to be done to rebuild the war-shattered West African country. More...