Secretary-General Appoints Silvia Rucks of Uruguay United Nations Resident Coordinator in Brazil
On 1 May, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Silvia Rucks of Uruguay as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Brazil, with the host Government’s approval.
Ms. Rucks brings more than 30 years of experience to the position, which she acquired throughout a career focused on leading strategic initiatives supporting national planning of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. She also coordinated inter-agency work to advise Governments on the design of public policies and reform proposals related to international development, human rights and peace and security issues.
Within the United Nations, Ms. Rucks most recently served as Resident Coordinator in Chile, where she led the Organization’s work during a challenging period, including after the COVID-19 outbreak. She was also the Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Chile between August 2016 and December 2018.
Ms. Rucks was previously the Resident Coordinator in Nicaragua and held other leadership positions at UNDP, including Resident Representative in Mexico, Country Director in Colombia, and Deputy Resident Representative in Peru and Argentina.
She served other United Nations entities in Brazil, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala and Uruguay, and also worked at United Nations Headquarters in New York. In the context of the Organization’s support for the Colombia peace process, she was a senior member of the United Nations country team that accompanied the work of the Peace Commission in Congress, providing advice on policy preparation and facilitating dialogue between the Government and civil society organizations.
Ms. Rucks holds an engineering degree, with honours, in computer science and information technology from the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala, a master’s degree in administration and business management from the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas in El Salvador, and a post-graduate degree in management from New York University in the United States.