The UN Resident Coordinator Office

Author
Sanaka Samarasinha
RCO
Resident Coordinator of Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
679 322 7746
sanaka.samarasinha@un.org
Sanaka Samarasinha commenced his appointment as the United Nations Resident Coordinator for the Republic of Fiji in 2018, with multi-country coverage of nine other Pacific Island Countries. Sanaka had served as the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative (RC/RR) in Minsk and UNFPA Representative in Belarus (2013-2018). Before this appointment, Sanaka served in various offices of the UN and UNDP. Before joining the UN, he worked in the legal profession and in journalism, with government, civil society and the private sector in several different countries including the USA, South Africa and India.
Resident Coordinator

The UN Resident Coordinator provides leadership to the Pacific Joint UN Country Team and the UN’s programming work, as outlined in the UN Pacific Strategy, in support of national priorities. The RC has a team composed of national and international staff, forming the RC Office (RCO), and is based in Suva (Fiji).

  • The RC oversees 10 Pacific Small Island Developing States (Pacific SIDS or PSIDS), namely Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Kiribati, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
  • Twenty-six resident and non-resident UN entities are signatories to the UNPS and members of The Pacific Joint UN Country Team.
  • The current UN Development Assistance Framework (Pacific Strategy) covers 14 countries and territories and outlines UN’s engagement in support of these countries’ national strategic priorities. The current cycle is for the years 2018-2022. The UN Pacific Strategy has six outcome areas and is monitored through 38 indicators.  

The RCO fulfils ten core coordination functions:

  1. Strategic analysis and planning
  2. Oversight of the UN country programming cycle
  3. Representation of and support of UN Secretariat and UN agencies (incl. non-resident agencies)
  4. Support to national coordination systems and processes
  5. Development and management of shared operational support services
  6. Crisis management preparedness and response
  7. External communication and advocacy
  8. Human rights and development
  9. Joint resource mobilisation and fund management
  10. General UNCT oversight and coordination.