The newly appointed United Nations Resident Coordinator, Richard Stephen Howard Jr, on January 16 2023, presented his letter of credence to Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Justin Tkatchenko.
The official presentation took place at the Office of the Minister in Port Moresby.
Minister Tkatchenko welcomed Howard to Papua New Guinea and congratulated him on the appointment.
“I am looking forward to working closely with the UN and work towards bringing long-term benefits to the people of Papua New Guinea,” said Minister Tkatchenko.
In presenting his credentials, Howard expressed his enthusiasm for working in partnership with the Government of Papua New Guinea and development partners to promote efficiency and accountability as the organization develops its next Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), the UN system’s five-year programming instrument that will capture the entire footprint of the UN agencies, funds and programmes in the country.
“The UN is here to support the Government in delivering results for the Papua New Guineans,” said Howard.
The Resident Coordinator is the representative of the UN Secretary General in Papua New Guinea and leads the UN Country Team, consisting of 17 resident and non-resident UN agencies, funds and programmes.
Howard has more than 30 years of experience in management and research experience, including economic growth and decent job creation, gender equality and inclusion with the private sector, non-government organizations, and the United Nations in Asia and the Pacific.