The UN Resident Coordinator Office

The UN Resident Coordinator Office in Kenya

The United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) in Kenya plays a pivotal role in supporting the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) and ensuring cohesive UN engagement across the country. As the highest-ranking representative of the UN Development System at the country level, the Resident Coordinator leads and coordinates the activities of the UN Country Team (UNCT) to deliver on Kenya's sustainable development agenda.

The Role of the UN Resident Coordinator

The UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya serves as the UN Secretary-General's representative, leading efforts to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2027. The RC’s mandate includes:

• Strategic Leadership: The RC represents the United Nations at the highest levels, engaging with the Government of Kenya, civil society, academia, development partners, and the private sector to drive progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Coordinated Development Support: The RC ensures a coherent and strategic response to national development priorities, working closely with UNCT members, including Non-Resident Agencies, to meet Kenya’s needs.
• Advocacy and Partnerships: The RC champions the core values of the UN Charter, including human rights, gender equality, and the commitment to 'Leave No One Behind' by prioritising support for the most vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Core Functions of the Resident Coordinator Office in Kenya

The RCO in Kenya operates through five core functions:

• Strategic Planning: Facilitates strategic planning processes for the UNCT, ensuring alignment with national priorities and the UNSDCF’s objectives.
• Economics: Provides expert economic analysis to support evidence-based policy decisions and development planning.
• Partnerships and Development Finance: Engages with diverse stakeholders to mobilise resources, strengthen partnerships, and enhance financing for sustainable development.
• Data and Results Management & Reporting: Manages data collection, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting on UNSDCF implementation to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Communications and Advocacy: Amplifies UN efforts through strategic communications, raising awareness of the SDGs and the UN’s impact on Kenya’s development.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022-2027

The United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for Kenya 2022- 2027 (UNSDCF-Kenya 2022-2027) is a core instrument for providing a coherent, strategic direction for UN development activities by all UN entities at the country level. It guides the UN system in planning and implementing development activities at the country level and in mobilising a broad range of development partners beyond the United Nations.

The Cooperation Framework represents the collective agreement of UN Kenya’s agencies, funds, and programmes and the Government of Kenya to support Kenya's national priorities, as outlined in Vision 2030, by addressing gaps on its pathway toward achieving the SDGs with a commitment to leave no one behind. The Cooperation Framework is dynamic and aligned with Kenya’s Fourth Medium Term Plan (MTP IV) as well as the sustainable development priorities articulated by the new Government following the August 2022 elections.

The UN Resident Coordinator in Kenya

Dr. Garry Conille of Haiti is the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya, appointed by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and awaiting the host Government’s approval, effective from 1 April 2026.

Dr Garry Conille is a globally respected development leader and former Prime Minister of Haiti, with over 30 years of experience across governance, multilateral negotiations and senior leadership within the United Nations system and national governments. He is known for navigating politically sensitive contexts, facilitating high-level dialogue and building trust between governments and international partners.

As Prime Minister, he led Haiti through a fragile transition, restoring institutional stability, advancing reforms and managing complex national and international expectations. Earlier, as Chief of Staff to former US President Bill Clinton in his role as UN Special Envoy for Haiti, he helped establish and coordinate the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, mobilising international resources and strengthening accountability in post-earthquake recovery efforts.

Dr Conille has served as UN Resident Coordinator in Jamaica, the Bahamas, Bermuda and Burundi, where he led system-wide coordination, shaped country cooperation frameworks and aligned UN support with national priorities. He also played a key role in shaping the global development agenda as Senior Policy Advisor to President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, contributing to the integration of African priorities into the Sustainable Development Goals.

His broader UN career includes senior roles with UNICEF, UNDP, UNOPS, UNFPA and IFRC, overseeing large-scale programmes in fragile and complex settings across Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

He holds a Doctor of Medicine from the State University of Haiti and a Master’s in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and is fluent in French, English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.