Experienced UN official from Guyana to head human resources department
3 April 2008 - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has announced that he has selected Guyana's Catherine Pollard to be the new Assistant
Secretary-General for Human Resources Management, calling her appointment a cornerstone of his efforts to strengthen the
United Nations in this area.
Ms. Pollard, currently the chief of staff in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), has a proven track record
in financial, human resources and general administrative management, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters today.
"Ms. Pollard brings to OHRM [the Office of Human Resources Management] her demonstrated capacity to forge collaborative
partnerships with different groups of stakeholders in order to get the job done," Ms. Okabe said.
At the world body she has worked with the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Protection Force in Croatia (UNPROFOR)
and the UN Volunteers programme (UNV) among others.
As Assistant Secretary-General, Ms. Pollard succeeds Jan Beagle of New Zealand, who was appointed Deputy Director
General of the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG).
ENDS