Appointment of Raf Tuts

01 Jul 2015

Appointment of Raf Tuts

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to inform you that Raf Tuts has been appointed as Coordinator, Urban Planning and Design Branch (D1), with effect from 1 June 2015.

Having led UPDB since its inception in 2011, Raf has guided the Branch in its mission to support national, regional and city authorities in the pursuit of compact, integrated, connected and inclusive cities that are resilient to climate change. This programme of work is now being implemented in over thirty countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Currently Raf is also Acting Coordinator of the Housing and Slum Upgrading Branch.

In parallel, Raf is UN-Habitat's focal point for the post-2015 development agenda, including SDGs. As an outcome, a standalone urban SDG is now tabled for adoption at the UN Summit for the Adoption of the Post-2015 Development Agenda in September in New York.

From 2008-11 Raf led UN-Habitat's Urban Environment and Planning Branch, and from 2005-8 he was Chief, Training and Capacity Building Branch.

Before joining UN-Habitat as Programme Manager of Localising Agenda 21 in 1995, Raf worked for the Department of Architecture, Urbanism and Planning of the University of Leuven and the Housing Research and Development Unit of the University of Nairobi.

Raf has authored and co-edited a number of publications on a wide range of urban development topics. In 2011, along with several other colleagues at the World Bank, UNEP and Cities Alliance, Raf received the World Bank Vice-President Team Award.

Raf may still be reached at raf.tuts@unhabitat.org.

Please join me in congratulating Raf on his new position.

Andrew Cox
Chief, Office of the Executive Director
UN-Habitat

Posted on: 01 Jul 2015