Secretary-General Appoints Retno L.P. Marsudi of Indonesia Special Envoy on Water
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Retno L.P. Marsudi of Indonesia as his Special Envoy on Water, aiming at galvanizing partnerships and concerted efforts to advance the water agenda, including the follow-up on the outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference.
The Special Envoy will draw on these outcomes in the lead-up to various global water processes, particularly the UN 2026 Water Conference. She will support efforts to ensure a water-secure future for all by advocating for stronger political, economic and sociocultural cooperation at all levels. The Special Envoy will also aim to enhance international cooperation and synergies among various international water processes in support of the achievement of all water-related goals and targets, such as Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Envoy serves as a champion and high-level advocate on water and sanitation issues, raising water issues high on the political agenda within and outside the UN, convening stakeholders across the spectrum, amplifying the work of the UN system and mobilizing action and financial resources to address the global water crisis.
Representing the United Nations Secretary-General in global water processes, Ms. Marsudi will also work with UN-Water and its members in support of the implementation of the UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation at all levels, in line with the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework.
Ms. Marsudi will take up the role of Special Envoy on Water on 1 November 2024, after completing her Government service. She brings distinguished experience in diplomacy with almost four decades, serving as the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Indonesia (2014-October 2024), during which she oversaw the conduct of the tenth World Water Forum in Bali 2024, leading to a consensually agreed Ministerial Declaration as the outcome of the Forum. She provides dedication, reflected through Indonesia’s leadership — including as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (2019–2020), President of the G20 [Group of 20] (2022), Chair of ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] (2023) and many other international entities and organizations.
In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Ms. Marsudi was appointed Co-Chair of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment Engagement Group to support the participation of 92 lower-middle and low-income economies in the COVAX Facility and ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. She served as Indonesian Ambassador to the Netherlands (2012-2014), as well as Ambassador to Iceland and Norway (2005–2008).