New York, 01 April 2015 - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced the appointment of Elliott Harris of Trinidad & Tobago as Assistant Secretary General and Head of the New York Office of the United Nations Environment Programme - UNEP.
"Mr. Harris's professional career spans a broad spectrum of experiences in the poverty reduction /aid/ development assistance and sustainable development fields, combining country - related work with responsibilities in global policy and strategy and experience in leading United Nations inter-agency processes," Mr. Ban's spokesperson's office said in a statement announcing the appointment.
Mr. Harris joined UNEP's Senior Management Team in 2013 as Director of the New York Office and Secretary to the Environment Management Group (EMG), leading UNEP in providing guidance on environmental policy to member state delegations in New York and catalysing international action to bring about a coordinated response within the United Nations system and with other partners.
"Mr. Harris's professional qualifications and over 25 years of international experience in the fields of international economics, development policy analysis and formulation, coupled with his knowledge of the UN system, multilateral and inter - agency coordination processes, make him an outstanding choice for this position," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
"Mr. Harris has led and plays a central role in UNEP's contribution to the Post 2015 development agenda process and important inter - agency coordination mechanisms such as the EMG and the High Level Committee on Programme (HLCP) of the UN Chief Executives Board for Coordination. I congratulate him on his appointment and look forward to working with him in his new capacity as UNEP strengthens its presence in New York and further evolves its work on the outcomes of the Rio+20 Summit and the post 2015 sustainable development agenda," added Mr Steiner.
Before joining UNEP in 2013, Mr. Harris began his career in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1988, where he initially worked in the African Department, and later joined the Fiscal Affairs Department, where he worked on public expenditure policy issues, in addition to country-related work in some Central Asian countries. In 2002 he became an Advisor in the Policy Development and Review Department (PDR), with particular focus on issues related to aid effectiveness, liaison with the UN system on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); and the Strategic Partnership with Africa (SPA) and in September 2008 was appointed the IMF's Special Representative to the United Nations, in addition to serving as Assistant Director of the Strategy and Policy Review Department.
Mr. Harris holds a B.Sc. in German and Political Science and an advanced degree in economics. He was also awarded an Advanced Studies Certificate in international economics and policy research from the Institute of World Economics in Kiel.
