The UN Resident Coordinator Office
The Resident Coordinator (RC) system “aims to bring together the different UN agencies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operational activities at the country level” through the One UN Delivery approach of One Leader, One Budgetary Framework, One Programme, Operating as One, and Communicating as One.
As designated representative of the UN Secretary-General, the RC in Ghana leads and strategically positions the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in support of national priorities, development strategies, and plans. The RC convenes the UNCT and coordinates all UN operations at the country level, with the support of her/his team in the RC Office (RCO).
The work of the UN in Ghana is informed by its 5-year strategic framework, the UN Sustainable Development Partnership (UNSDP) which entered into force in 2018.
The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Ghana fulfills the following five key functions in supporting national priorities, development strategies and plans:
Strategic planning;
Development economics;
Partnerships and development finance;
Data and results management and reporting; and
Communications and advocacy.
The UN Resident Coordinator
Mr. Charles Abani is a seasoned international development practitioner with over 25 years of experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors having worked in senior country and regional leadership roles in Africa, Asia, and in Europe. Specifically, he has worked with ActionAid International, Oxfam GB, Absolute Return for Kids, Palladium and Chemonics. Mr. Abani has also led the successful implementation of projects for DFID and USAID. Most recently, Charles served as Africa Director in Chemonics’ UK Division, prior to which he led USAID’ flagship civil society project in Nigeria – USAID-SACE.
Mr. Abani is from the Federal Republic of Nigeria and holds a BA in History from the University of Nigeria, an MSC in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University and an executive management certificate from Oxford University.
He takes over from Ms. Sylvia Lopez-Ekra who served in dual capacity as UN Resident Coordinator ai for 18 months and as Chief of Mission for the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in charge of Ghana, Togo and Benin.
