Secretary-General appoints Rosemary Kalapurakal of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe
By R Anil Kumar
New York/Bengaluru, June 1, 2026. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rosemary Kalapurakal of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe, with the host Government’s approval. She took up her duties on 1 June.
Ms. Kalapurakal is a seasoned United Nations professional with over 25 years of experience in policy and programming related to sustainable development, strategic management and operations across multiple UN organizations.
Ms. Kalapurakal most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Development Coordination Office (DCO), where she played a key leadership role in managing the Resident Coordinator system and advancing United Nations development system reforms. Before assuming this position in 2022, she was the Chief of Policy and Programme at DCO. Prior to that, she served as the 2030 Agenda Lead Advisor in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and as the Deputy Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) Programme.
Throughout her career with UNDP, she has held various management and policy roles at headquarters and in the field, with a focus on poverty eradication, governance, gender equality, sustainable development and social inclusion.
Ms. Kalapurakal holds a Ph.D. in Business Management and a Master’s degree in Economics from The Ohio State University in the USA.
Photo Caption: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Rosemary Kalapurakal of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe.Photo: UN
The Other Indians who are serving as UN officials in various other countries are, Shalini Bahuguna, who is serving as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Ms. Shalini Bahuguna of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea, with the host Government’s approval. She took up her post on 1 April, this year.
Ms. Bahuguna brings more than 20 years of experience in leading multi‑disciplinary and culturally diverse teams in development, humanitarian, transitional, post‑conflict and peacebuilding contexts across Asia and Africa.
She most recently facilitated the development of the Artificial Intelligence strategy of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in partnership with Accenture.
Ms. Bahuguna has also served as UNICEF Representative in Tanzania, where she oversaw programmes supporting national development priorities and strengthened partnerships to advance child rights. She took on this role after working as UNICEF Deputy Representative in Ethiopia and Myanmar, as well as Chief of Social Policy and Gender with UNICEF Nigeria.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Bahuguna worked as an aid manager and social development professional with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) in India, China, Indonesia and Afghanistan. She began her career with a water and sanitation non‑governmental organization in India and later supported the Government of India and the World Bank water sector reform programme.
Ms. Bahuguna holds a master’s degree in development economics and international development from the University of Swansea in the United Kingdom.
She is married and has one daughter.
PhotoCaption: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed Shalini Bahuguna of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Papua New Guinea.
Gita Sabharwal of India is theUnited Nations Resident Coordinator presently serving in Indonesia
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres had appointed Gita Sabharwal of India as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Indonesia, with the host Government’s approval.
Ms. Sabharwal, who took up her post on 22 April 2024, brings close to 30 years of experience in development supporting climate transition, sustainable peace, governance and social policy, while leveraging digital technology and data to accelerate Sustainable Development Goals.
Previously she served as UN Resident Coordinator in Thailand and as Peacebuilding and Development Advisor at the United Nations in Sri Lanka. Before joining the UN, 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.
