New UN Resident Coordinator starts work in Ukraine

The newly appointed UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, has started working in Ukraine.

The UN Office in Ukraine announced this on its Facebook account, Ukrinform reports.

“United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Matthias Schmale of Germany as the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, with the host Government’s approval, starting on 11 August,” the post reads.

Mr. Schmale brings more than 30 years of experience in humanitarian and development work. He previously served as Senior Advisor to the UN Development Coordination Office’s regional team for Africa, as Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator (a.i) in Nigeria, and in several high-level positions with UNRWA, the United Nations noted.

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He holds a PhD in Development Economics and a master’s degree in Macroeconomics from Berlin’s Free University. 

As Ukrinform reported, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Borovets met with the UN Resident Coordinator in Ukraine, Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown, who completed her mission, and her successor, Matthias Schmale, on August 8. It was noted that the Ukrainian side is looking forward to productive cooperation with the new UN coordinator.

Photo: Viktoria Andriievska / OSNA