DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL INTRODUCES NEW UNDP ADMINISTRATOR AT HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE

DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL INTRODUCES NEW UNDP ADMINISTRATOR

AT HEADQUARTERS PRESS CONFERENCE

Following is Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette’s introduction to the press of Kemal Derviş, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), on 16 August:

It’s a pleasure to welcome Kemal Derviş to the United Nations in his new role as UNDP Administrator.  The Secretary-General and I are convinced that he is the right person for the job.

Mr. Derviş is uniquely qualified for his new post.  Having served both as a government minister and as an international adviser, he has seen development from both sides of the aisle.

He is the first Administrator from a UNDP programme country, rather than from a donor country.

I’m sure by now you have all heard about his enormous success as Turkey’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Treasury.  During his two-year term, he implemented reforms that pulled the country out of a deep financial crisis.

And his 22-year career at the World Bank, is equally notable.  As Director of the Central Europe Department, he coordinated the donor community’s support to the peace and reconstruction process in Bosnia.

Mr. Derviş is a widely published author whose most recent book, “For Better Globalization”, published earlier this year, has won critical acclaim for its innovative ideas on global governance, including its proposals on strengthening the United Nations.

UNDP is central to the United Nations’ poverty eradication efforts.

During his six-year tenure as UNDP Administrator, Mark Malloch Brown reformed UNDP and led the global effort toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

We are looking forward to working with Mr. Derviş as he consolidates those reforms and leads UNDP -- with its extensive global network -- in its work to fight poverty, promote democratic governance and foster crisis prevention and recovery.

We know that he takes very seriously UNDP’s responsibility for coordinating all United Nations development activities at the country level and that he will be a dynamic chair of the United Nations Development Group, which includes the United Nations key players in international development. 

He will help UNDP continue to ensure the most effective use of the United Nations and international assistance in this time of limited capacities and resources.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the new UNDP Administrator, Kemal Derviş.

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For information media • not an official record