Secretary-General Appoints Haoliang Xu of China Associate Administrator, United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Haoliang Xu of China as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. Xu will succeed Usha Rao-Monari of India, to whom the Secretary-General has expressed his appreciation for her service and commitment during her tenure.

Mr. Xu has been serving as the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support since 2019. From 2013 to 2019, he was Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific. 

Bringing to the position nearly three decades of experience in the field of international development, Mr. Xu has held various roles within the Organization, working in field and headquarters assignments in the Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia regions.  Before his career at the United Nations, Mr. Xu worked in the field of civil engineering in China and the United States.

Mr. Xu holds a bachelor’s degree in bridge engineering from Tongji University in China, along with master’s degrees in management science from the Stevens Institute of Technology and in international affairs from Columbia University, both in the United States.  He speaks Chinese, English and Russian, and is married with one child.