Secretary-General Appoints Haoliang Xu of China Director, Bureau of Policy and Programme Support, United Nations Development Programme

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today announced the appointment of Haoliang Xu of China as Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau of Policy and Programme Support, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).  Mr. Xu succeeds Abdoulaye Mar Dieye of Senegal, who the Secretary-General has appointed as Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the UNDP Administrator.

Mr. Xu has served as Assistant Administrator and Director, Regional Bureau for Asia and Pacific, UNDP, since 2013.  He has more than 25 years of experience in international development, having joined UNDP in 1994 and worked in various field and headquarters assignments in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia, New York, Iran, Timor-Leste, Pakistan and Kazakhstan.

He has led large-scale change processes in his various assignments, built high‑performance teams and achieved significant efficiency gains.  Mr. Xu places strong emphasis on a clear strategic vision, a culture of collaboration and a mindset of continuous innovation, working with colleagues to deliver impactful development solutions.  Before joining the United Nations, he worked in the field of civil engineering in China and the United States.

Mr. Xu holds a bachelor’s degree in bridge engineering from Tongji University, a master’s degree in management science from the Stevens Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

He is married and has one child.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1431-BIO/4508-DEV/3014 of 13 August 2013.