United Nations Development Programme
Nr Administrator Nationality Term
9 Achim Steiner Brazil / Germany 2017-
8 Helen Clark New Zealand 2009-2017
7 Kemal Derviş Turkey 2005-2009
6 Mark Malloch Brown United Kingdom 1999-2005
5 James Gustave Speth United States 1993-1999
4 William Henry Draper United States 1986-1993
3 F. Bradford Morse United States 1976-1986
2 Rudolph A. Peterson United States 1972-1976
1 Paul G. Hoffman United States 1966-1972
Administrator
The UNDP Administrator has the rank of an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations . While the Administrator is often referred to as the third highest-ranking official in the UN ( after the UN Secretary General and the UN Deputy Secretary General ) , this has never been formally codified . In addition to his or her responsibilities as head of UNDP , the Administrator is also the Vice-Chair of the UN Sustainable Development Group . [ 31 ] [ 32 ] The position of Administrator is appointed by the Secretary-General of the UN and confirmed by the General Assembly for a term of four years . [ 33 ] Achim Steiner is the current Administrator . [ 34 ] The five countries on the UNDP board have some influence over selection of the administrator . [ citation needed ] The first administrator of the UNDP was Paul G. Hoffman , former head of the Economic Cooperation Administration which administered the Marshall Plan . Other holders of the position have included : Bradford Morse , former Republican congressman from Massachusetts ; William Draper , venture capitalist and friend of George H.W . Bush who saw one of the UN system 's major achievements , the Human Development Report , introduced during his tenure ; Mark Malloch Brown , who was previously Vice President of External Affairs at the World Bank and subsequently became UN Deputy Secretary General . Kemal Derviş , a former finance minister of Turkey and senior World Bank official , was the previous UNDP Administrator . Derviş started his four-year term on 15 August 2005 .
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life for themselves. It provides expert advice, training and grants support to developing countries, with increasing emphasis on assistance to the least developed countries. It promotes technical and investment cooperation among nations. Headquartered in New York City, the status of UNDP is that of an executive board within the United Nations General Assembly. The UNDP Administrator is the third highest-ranking official of the United Nations after the United Nations Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General. The UNDP is funded entirely by voluntary contributions from UN member states. The organization operates in 177 countries, where it works with local governments to meet development challenges and develop local capacity. It works internationally to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP was one of the main UN agencies involved in the development of the Post-2015 Development Agenda. To accomplish the SDGs and encourage global development, UNDP focuses on poverty reduction, HIV/AIDS, democratic governance, energy and environment, social development, and crisis prevention and recovery. The UNDP Human Development Report Office also publishes an annual Human Development Report (since 1990) to measure and analyse developmental progress.