Secretary‑General appoints Shalini Bahuguna of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea

United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Ms. Shalini Bahuguna of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, with the host Government’s approval. She takes up her post today, 1 April. 

Ms. Bahuguna brings more than 20 years of experience in leading multi‑disciplinary and culturally diverse teams in development, humanitarian, transitional, post‑conflict and peacebuilding contexts across Asia and Africa. She most recently facilitated the development of the Artificial Intelligence strategy of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Accenture. She has also served as UNICEF Representative in Tanzania, where she oversaw programmes supporting national development priorities and strengthened partnerships to advance child rights. She took on this role after working as UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ethiopia and Myanmar, as well as Chief of Social Policy and Gender with UNICEF Nigeria. 

Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Bahuguna worked as an aid manager and social development professional with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) in India, China, Indonesia and Afghanistan. She began her career with a water and sanitation non‑governmental organization in India and later supported the Government of India and the World Bank water sector reform programme. 

Ms. Bahuguna holds a master’s degree in development economics and international development from the University of Swansea in the United Kingdom. 

She is married and has one daughter.