Secretary-General Appoints Mireia Villar Forner of Spain United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mireia Villar Forner of Spain as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Colombia, with the host Government’s approval.

Ms. Villar Forner brings more than 25 years of experience, both within the United Nations and externally, to the position.  She most recently served as Resident Coordinator in Uruguay, where she has been leading the work of the United Nations development system to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.  She also held senior positions at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including that of Resident Representative in Uruguay, Deputy Resident Representative in Bolivia and Deputy Resident Representative in Iraq during the country’s political transition.

She also served at the UNDP Liaison Office in Brussels, where she played a key role in strengthening the partnership between the Organization and the European Union.  Before that, she worked as the focal point for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the Arab States, in UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, following an assignment as Head of the Programme Section of the Electricity Network Rehabilitation Programme in Northern Iraq.

Ms. Villar Forner began her United Nations career at the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States.  Prior to joining the Organization, she worked in the financial sector in Spain.  She holds a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in the United States, as well as a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Barcelona.