Turkey’s Yesim Oruc appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Guyana

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Yesim Oruc of Turkey as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Guyana, with the host Government’s approval. She will take up her post on August, 22, 2021.
Oruc brings to her new role more than 20 years of experience in international relations and sustainable development.
At the United Nations, she held leadership positions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), including most recently a senior role at the UNDP Representation Office in Washington D.C., USA, where she managed key organisational strategies and partnerships.

She also served as UNDP Country Director in Albania, and led programme and partnership initiatives for UNDP country operations in Romania as well as Turkey.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Ms. Oruc worked as a copy editor in Cairo, Egypt.
She holds a master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American University in Cairo, Egypt and a bachelor’s degree in political science and comparative governments from Yale University in Connecticut, USA.
She replaces former United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka, whose tenure comes to an end this month.
During Tanaka’s stint in Guyana, she led the implementation of the first ever Caribbean Multi-country Sustainable Development Framework (MSDF), a development partnership that supports Guyana in the achievement of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

She had deployed the UN System in Guyana to address challenges faced during the 2020 national and regional elections, to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to support people directly affected by flooding and forced migration.
With the European Union, she has enabled Guyana’s inclusion in the Global Spotlight Initiative, which aims to eliminate violence against women.
Tanaka has maintained the closest strategic relations between the UN and successive Guyana Governments since 2016, supporting them in strategic planning, helping them prepare for the effects of the unfolding climate emergency, and highlighting the challenges faced by some of Guyana’s poorest and most marginalised communities.
The UN Rep has worked tirelessly to ensure that the United Nations system supports Guyana to protect human rights; preserve democracy; and ensure that no-one, regardless of their circumstance, status or identity, is left behind from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.