Guyanese national appointed to top position within UN

UNITED NATIONS, CMC – The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, Tuesday appointed Guyanese national, Catherine Pollard, as the next Under-Secretary-General for Management Strategy, Policy and Compliance.

She succeeds Jan Beagle of New Zealand who served for 40 years within the UN system.

The UN said Pollard brings to the position over three decades of experience in human, financial, information communications technology and support operations and services.

She is currently Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Affairs, a position she assumed in 2015. Her previous leadership roles include Assistant Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management and Assistant Secretary-General for Human Resources Management.

Pollard, a graduate of the University of the West Indies (UWI), joined the United Nations in 1989 as Chief of National Executive Projects at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

She then served the United Nations in various capacities, including as Chief Budget Officer for the United Nations Operations in Yugoslavia and Central Headquarters, Chief of the Budget and Finance Section of the United Nations Volunteers, Director of the Peacekeeping Finance Division in the Office of Program Planning, Budget and Accounts and Chief of Staff in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.