About the Resident Coordinator's Office
In Thailand, the United Nations system is led by the UN Resident Coordinator, with the support of the Resident Coordinator’s Office.
The Resident Coordinator leads the UN Country Team which is comprised of the representatives of UN entities active in Thailand. The UN Country Team is working together to capitalize on the strengths and comparative advantages of the UN System in-country, to increase impact through coherent programmes, as well as to reduce transaction costs.
The Secretary General’s General Assembly Resolution 72/279 on the repositioning of the United Nations Development System mandates bold changes for the emergence of a new generation of Country Teams, centred on a strategic Programme with the Government and led by an impartial, independent and empowered UN Resident Coordinator to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for dignity, prosperity and peace on a healthy planet.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand
Ms. Gita Sabharwal was appointed as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Thailand on 15 March 2020. As the UN Resident Coordinator, she leads 21 UN agencies under the UN Country Team to deliver the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) to advance the Sustainable Development Goals in coordination with the government, private sector, civil society and young people.
Ms. Sabharwal has close to three decades of development experience working across multiple country contexts in Asia. Her work has focused specifically on peacebuilding, governance and social policy, while generating and applying empirical and big data analysis to deal with emerging development challenges. Preceding her appointment to Thailand, Ms. Sabharwal was the Peacebuilding and Development Advisor at the United Nations in Sri Lanka, for nearly seven years.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Sabharwal was The Asia Foundation’s Deputy Country Representative for Maldives and Sri Lanka and has held positions as the Poverty and Policy Advisor for the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) in India and Viet Nam.
Ms. Sabharwal holds a Master’s Degree in Development Management from the University of Wales, UK.
Meet the Team
The Resident Coordinator is supported by the Resident Coordinator's Office, which includes:
- Ms Iwona Spytkowski, Team Leader & Strategic Planner
- Ms Emma Kasemsuwan, Executive Associate
- Ms Dusadee Songyoo, Administrative Assistant
- Mr Timothy Alchin, Peace & Development Advisor
- Ms Chomsiri Yee Tirapornvitoon, Peace & Development Officer
- Ms Marisa Panyachiva, Partnership & Development Finance Officer
- Mr Manop Udomkerdmongkol, Economist
- Mr Thamana Lekprichakul, Data & Results Reporting Officer
- Ms Yui Walsh, Coordination Officer
- Ms. Eunhae Kim, Youth Climate Associate
- Ms. Thatphorn Nakkarasin, UN Thailand and PSEA Communications Consultant
- Mr Bovornpong Teddy Vathanathanakul, Communications & Advocacy Officer
