The former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo (Flemish liberal) has been officially elected as the new head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The former Belgian PM elected new head of UNDP.
Mr De Croo was nominated by the UN Secretary General António Guterres last month. However, his appointment still required the formal approval of the Security Council. At Monday evening's vote, Russia abstained, while the other 172 countries that voted did so in favour of Mr De Croo’s appointment.
Writing on X Monday, Mr De Croo expressed his gratitude to Mr Guterres and the UN's member states "for the trust they have placed in me to lead UNDP as its new Administrator".
Steering structural change
UNDP is based at UN headquarters in New York City. It is tasked with helping countries to eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development.
Mr De Croo said that "I join UNDP at a moment when the world needs cooperation, action and impact more than ever," said De Croo. "My approach will be simple: listen, partner and deliver – so that no one is left behind."
In a statement released on Monday evening Mr Guterres said that "Mr. De Croo has dedicated much of his career to public service advancing global solidarity, combining political leadership, development cooperation, and innovation”.
He added that, in his former positions as Belgian Prime Minister and Belgian Development Aid Minister, Mr De Croo "worked closely with multilateral institutions to steer structural change for people in some of the world’s most vulnerable regions".
In a reaction posted on X the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen congratulated De Croo "Your leadership comes at a crucial time for the UN system, as an ambitious reform is needed," she wrote.