United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Dmitry Shlapachenko as the new UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan, UN press service says.
According to the statement, Shlapachenko has officially assumed his duties.
"Shlapachenko brings 28 years of experience in diplomacy, international cooperation, political and socioeconomic affairs, development coordination, peacebuilding and strategic planning to the position," the UN notes.
The UN emphasizes that prior to his appointment in Baku, he served as UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan.
He has also previously worked at UN Headquarters in New York as Head of the Horn of Africa Countries Team and of the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS). In addition, the statement noted that Shlapachenko has held senior positions in UN missions in Iraq, Somalia, Tajikistan, and other countries.
The position of UN Resident Coordinator (RC) is the highest-ranking official of the United Nations in a given country. The Resident Coordinator represents the UN Secretary-General at the national level, leads the work of the entire UN Country Team (which includes more than 30 specialized agencies, programs, and funds such as UNDP, UNICEF, WHO, UNESCO, and others), and coordinates UN activities with the host government.
