Secretary-General praises ‘great leadership’ of UNDP administrator Kemal Derviş,

 

Accepts his decision to leave position ‘with regret’

 

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kemal Derviş, has conveyed to the Secretary‑General his intention to leave the position of Administrator on 1 March 2009 due to personal and family reasons.  The Secretary‑General has accepted Mr. Derviş’s decision with regret, and will initiate the process of selection to identify a suitable successor.

The Secretary‑General is deeply grateful to Mr. Derviş for the services he has rendered to the Organization and for so ably leading UNDP at a critical juncture.  The Secretary‑General is particularly appreciative of the great leadership displayed by Mr. Derviş in the implementation of his mandate.  Mr. Derviş has led the UNDP programmes in support of the developing countries to expand substantially over the last four years and to make solid progress in the “delivering as one” agenda concerning the United Nations’ development work as a whole at the country level.

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For information media • not an official record