Appointment of Jane Nyakairu as Office-in-Charge, Donor Relations and Income

Dear colleagues

I write following the formal 'start' of the work of the Management and Operations Division on 1 December. This is a vital change for the organisation and needs to be given the best possible chance to succeed and deliver on the high expectations of the rest of UN-Habitat. Andrew Cox has already started his duties as Director of the Division, and he has had the first chance to meet staff and hear their views on how to move forward. However, much more thinking and consultation needs to be done before the final shape of the new division is finalised.

Donor Relations and Income will be a crucial part of the work of the Division and falls formally within its responsibilities. There is a great deal to be done, and we must move quickly to scale up the work in this area. In this regard, I am appointing Jane Nyakairu as Officer in Charge, Donor Relations and Income, pending the recruitment of the post on Inspira. Jane will work closely with Rocio Kessler and other staff as we can manage, and work with Andrew and other colleagues to implement the Resource Mobilisation Strategy using a coordinated and closely managed approach to the decentralised model we have adopted previously.The Officer in Charge, Donor Relations and Income reports directly to the Director, Management and Operations Division.

Jane will also take the lead on Business Intelligence, Reporting and Analytics, another crucial priority for the organisation. I hope she can use her deep knowledge and experience to deliver a major jump forward in this area, in close consultation with managers and staff across UN-Habitat. Beyond this, let me express my gratitude for Jane's work as Officer-in-Charge of the Office of Management over the last years.

Colleagues in the Division not involved in BI or Donor Relations who previously reported to Jane will now report to Andrew Cox, as a transitional measure pending the final design of the Division being adopted.

Best regards

Dr. Joan Clos
Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director