The UN Resident Coordinator Office
In June 2018, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that envisages the most far-reaching development reform in the history of the United Nations Development System in response to a unified call by Member States to transform the UN system.
The reform aimed to reposition the United Nations development system with a stronger, better-defined collective identity as a trusted, reliable, cohesive, accountable, and effective partner to the country within the 2030 Agenda.
The UN system in Mongolia is led by UN Resident Coordinator, who is the highest-ranking development official to represent the UN system in the country. The Resident Coordinator leads the UN Country Team, which consists of both resident and non-resident agencies, to deliver collective responses to national needs and ensure system-wide accountability on the ground.
The Resident Coordinator is supported by the Resident Coordinator’s Office (RCO). The office coordinates activities related to common programming including Agenda 2030, joint programmes, joint programming activities, and development coordination work. This is done in conformity with the objectives and priorities of the Government, and the mandates and objectives of the United Nations agencies.
The RCO has five core development coordination functions:
- Development Coordination Officer: Strategic Planning and Team Leader - Ariunaa Chadraabal (Ms)
- Development Coordination Officer: Economist - Sangwon Lim (Mr)
- Development Coordination Officer: Partnerships and Development Finance Officer - Margaretha Jacqueline van der Woude (Ms)
- Development Coordination Officer: Data and Results Management and Reporting Officer - Jina Yang (Ms)
- Development Coordination Officer: Communications and Advocacy Officer - Soyolmaa Dolgor (Ms)
In addition, the RCO has additional functions as follows:
- National Human Rights Advisor - Altangerel Choijoo (Mr)
- Humanitarian Affairs Officer - Suvd Bold (Ms)
- Executive Associate - Altanchimeg Zagd (Ms)
- Administrative Associate - Naran Otgonbayar (Ms)
- Driver - Batmunkh Purvee
The UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Jaap van Hierden of The Netherlands as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Mongolia, with the host Government’s approval, on 1 January 2025.
Mr. van Hierden has over 30 years of experience in development, humanitarian action, and peacebuilding, including establishing, managing and leading offices and projects and strategic, policy, operational, managerial, and coordination roles and responsibilities.
Most recently he served as the first UN Resident Coordinator of the new UN Multi-Country Office in Micronesia hosted by Pohnpei/Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) supporting Palau, FSM, Marshall Islands, Nauru and Kiribati. In this capacity, he led the UN Country Team to ensure their support to achieve national development goals. From 2018 to 2021 he worked with Cordaid in Afghanistan. He worked with UNOPS in the Philippines and Cambodia from 2013 to 2016 and for UNOPS in various roles in Copenhagen, New York, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok from 1995 to 2013. He worked for UNDP in Bangkok in 1994, and from 1991 to 1993 he served in Sierra Leone with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
Mr. van Hierden holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Wageningen University. He is married with three adult children and one teenager.