Appointment of Director, Management and Operations Division

Dear colleagues

I am pleased to inform you that the Secretary-General has appointed Andrew Cox as Director of the Management and Operations Division. Many of you know Andrew well, through his service to UN-Habitat as Chief of Staff. Previously, Andrew served as Resident Coordinator of the United Nations in the Maldives, Resident Representative of UNDP, and UNFPA Representative (2010-2013). Andrew was Chief of Staff at the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in New York (2007-2010). Prior to this, he held several positions in Sudan, from 2004-2007 as Head, Resident Coordinator’s Office, Head of Sector in UNMIS, and as Special Adviser to the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General. He was a Donor Relations Officer (2002-2004) and Humanitarian Affairs Officer – Central Asia team leader (2000-2002) for OCHA in New York. During 2002, Andrew also served as Chief of the Office of the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kabul; and was a Humanitarian Affairs Officer in Sierra Leone (1999-2000). Before his career began with the UN system, Andrew worked as Field Director for Concern Universal in Sierra Leone and had assignments with various companies and NGOs in the UK, Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d’Ivoire.

This important appointment continues the implementation of my memo of 7 August 2013, outlining the divisional structure of UN-Habitat. The Office of Management will now be subsumed into the Division, and I will come back to you in the near future on other adjustments that may be required to the organigramme. The division concept for management and operations comes at an important time for UN-Habitat in the run up to Habitat III. As many of you know, I have tasked senior managers to focus on two goals. The first is the continued evolution of the programme towards strategic relevance, with a high level of specialisation and transformative impact. The second goal refers to the need for business transformation, focusing on how we implement our programme and provide services across the organisation in the most efficient manner. The Management and Operations Division under Andrew's leadership  will be responsible for making proposals to me on the continuation of the important process of business transformation of UN-Habitat.

I would like to take this opportunity thank Jane Nyakairu very much for her service all this time as Officer-in-Charge of the Office of Management. She has taken a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders.

Beyond the process of business transformation, there are many challenges in the next year for the new division. Andrew will consult widely on how the division will be structured and operate, and I trust you will extend to him your fullest cooperation.

Best regards

Dr. Joan Clos