Yeşim Oruç, United Nations Resident Coordinator for the UN System in Guyana, will conclude her assignment on August 9, 2024, after serving in the position for exactly one year.
During her tenure, Ms. Oruç led efforts to support the government and people of Guyana in ensuring that no one is left behind in the pursuit of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Her leadership has been instrumental in coordinating the UN System’s support to national authorities in key areas such as gender equality and women’s empowerment, social protection, food systems transformation, labour, employment, and migration.
These initiatives have been facilitated by strengthened partnerships with development partners, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, academia, civil society, youth, and the media. Ms. Oruç’s efforts have aligned the UN’s programmatic portfolio in Guyana with national development priorities aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a focus on inclusivity.
This inclusive approach has renewed focus on the situation of women and girls, young people, persons living with disabilities, indigenous peoples, persons living with HIV/AIDS, migrant populations, and other vulnerable groups in Guyana.
“It has been the privilege of my life to serve in a country where a dynamic commitment to global goals is embodied in the national Low Carbon Development Strategy, backed by successive SDG-enabling national budgets. I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to have accompanied this remarkable country on its amazing journey towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Ms. Oruç. “I am also fortunate to have worked with some incredible people who are committed to helping Guyana honour its human rights commitments. In recent months, it has been inspiring to witness Guyana take up its place on the UN Security Council, where today it is striving to ensure that topics like food security and climate security are placed right at the very top of the global agenda.”
