United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (Front) speaks during a press briefing at the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 17 2022. Guterres on Thursday called on countries to take climate actions instead of "finger-pointing" at the ongoing UN climate change conference. Photo: Xinhua

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday announced the appointment of Michelle Muschett of Panama as UN assistant secretary-general, assistant administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.

Muschett is a social policy and global development specialist with multisectoral experience in leadership positions, the UN chief's press office said.

She is currently serving as senior public policy adviser and executive education director for Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, advising governments and policymakers from Africa, Asia and Latin America in their efforts to address multidimensional poverty, the statement said.

During her tenure as deputy minister and minister of social development of Panama, Muschett led the process of developing the first national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) and the creation of the first Childhood MPI in the Latin America region, it added.

In a press release, UNDP administrator Achim Steiner welcomed the new appointment, which he said comes "as we work alongside countries and communities in a range of vital areas, from reducing poverty and inequalities to advancing decisive climate action."

"Ultimately, this approach aims to allow countries across Latin America and the Caribbean to make giant leaps forward in their human development pathways while improving the health and well-being of our natural world," Steiner said. 

Xinhua