Secretary-General Appoints Jens Wandel of Denmark Special Adviser to Secretary-General on Reforms

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Jens Wandel of Denmark as Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Reforms.  He was previously appointed to this function from 2018 to 2020 during the implementation phase of the reforms. 

The Secretary-General has tasked Special Adviser Wandel with delivering an internal review of the progress made and remaining gaps implementing the reforms.  Working within and across all three reform streams (Sustainable Development, Peace & Security and Management), the Special Adviser will work to deepen the impact of the three reforms, including by recommendations to the Secretary-General for the key departments, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, and the United Nations High-level Committee on Management. 

Mr. Wandel has had a distinguished service within the United Nations.  He served as the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) Executive Director (ad interim), the Secretary-General’s Designate for the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Assistant Administrator, Director of the Bureau of Management.  He also held various positions at the country level, including as Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan and other UNDP positions in Kyrgyzstan and Viet Nam.  He brings a wide range of experience across operational, programmatic and policy matters, which is critical for implementing the key outstanding elements of the reforms. 

Mr. Wandel holds a Master of Arts equivalent in political science (development and public management) from the University of Aarhus, Denmark.  He is fluent in English and Danish.

__________

* This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1821-BIO/5111 of 31 July 2018.