Kanni Wignaraja
Kanni Wignaraja | |
|---|---|
| File:Kanni Wignaraja Portrait.jpg | |
| UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific of the United Nations Development Programme | |
| Assumed office 18 November 2019 | |
| Regional Director | Kanni Wignaraja |
| Preceded by | Haoliang Xu |
| Personal details | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | Bryn Mawr College, Princeton University |
Kanni Wignaraja is a Sri Lankan development practitioner and United Nations official who currently serves as an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).[1][2] She has held high-ranking positions across the UN system and contributes to global development discourse through publications and media appearances.[3]
Early life and education
[edit | edit source]Wignaraja was born in Sri Lanka. She earned a degree in economics from Bryn Mawr College in the United States and a Master's in Public Administration (MPA) from Princeton University, where she focused on development economics.[4]
Career
[edit | edit source]Wignaraja began her career in international development in the early 1990s, working with national and international organisations to promote governance reforms and strengthen institutional capacity.[5] She held key positions within UNDP country offices in Zambia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.[6]
United Nations career
[edit | edit source]From 2014 to 2018, Wignaraja served as Director of the UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO), where she oversaw more than 130 UN Resident Coordinators.[2] Prior to that, she led the UNDP Bureau for Management Services, implementing institutional reform and integrated service delivery.[7]
In November 2019, she was appointed as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. In this role, she oversees strategic development programming in 36 countries and territories, with a focus on climate action, inclusive growth, and governance.[1]
On 19 June 2025, Wignaraja briefed the United Nations Security Council during a high-level debate on development and peacebuilding. She addressed the importance of climate resilience, inclusive recovery, and poverty reduction as enablers of lasting peace.[8][9]
Thought leadership
[edit | edit source]Wignaraja is the co-editor of The Great Upheaval (2022), a UNDP-published book analysing emerging development trends in Asia-Pacific.[10] She is also the lead author of Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer (2009), which explores the UN's approach to institutional strengthening.[11]
She has publicly advocated for universal basic income as a response to growing inequality during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] In 2023, she co-authored an op-ed on climate-related credit risks for vulnerable countries.[13]
Media and public engagement
[edit | edit source]Wignaraja has appeared on major international media platforms including CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, and NDTV, discussing topics ranging from development financing to gender equity and humanitarian crises.[14][15]
References
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External links
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