The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Haitian diplomat and former prime minister Garry Conille as the new United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya.
In a statement released Wednesday, the UN confirmed that Conille takes up the role effective April 1, with the approval of the Kenyan government. He succeeds Stephen Jackson, who will proceed to Beijing in the same capacity.
Conille brigs more than two decades of experience spanning international development, humanitarian response, and public administration. His appointment signals the UN’s intent to strengthen coordination and delivery of its programmes in Kenya, which serves as a regional hub for multilateral operations in East Africa.
Before his new posting, Conille served as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the UNICEF, where he led initiatives focused on child welfare, health systems strengthening, and tackling inequality. His tenure was marked by efforts to expand access to essential services and improve outcomes for vulnerable populations across the region.
He has also held key leadership roles within the UN system, including serving as Resident Coordinator in Jamaica and previously in Burundi. In these positions, he was involved in overseeing multi-agency programmes and aligning UN support with national development priorities.
His earlier assignments include Regional Director for Africa at the United Nations Office for Project Services and heading the Millennium Development Goals Support Unit at the United Nations Development Programme.
Conille began his UN career in 1999 with the United Nations Population Fund in his native Haiti, steadily rising through the ranks in roles that combined field operations with policy leadership.
Outside the UN system, Conille has had a high-profile political career in Haiti, having served twice as Prime Minister, most recently between May and November 2024. During his brief tenure, he was tasked with steering the country through acute security challenges, governance reforms, and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
His international profile is further bolstered by his role as Under-Secretary-General for Programmes and Operations at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, where he oversaw global humanitarian operations.
He also served as a senior advisor to former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during her co-chairing of the UN High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda, as well as Chief of Staff to the UN Special Envoy for Haiti, former US President Bill Clinton..
As Resident Coordinator, Conille will serve as the highest-ranking UN official in Kenya, responsible for coordinating the activities of UN agencies and aligning them with national priorities. Kenya hosts one of the UN’s largest country teams globally and plays a strategic role in regional peace, security, and development efforts.
Conille holds a Doctor of Medicine degree from the State University of Haiti and a Master of Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the United States.
