The UN Resident Coordinator's Office
The UN Resident Coordinator (RC) leads the UN Resident Coordinator System at the country level and serves as the representative of the UN Secretary-General to the Government of Zimbabwe. As the highest-ranking UN official in the country, the RC is the primary interlocutor between the UN Development System and the Head of State and Government.
In Zimbabwe, the RC is responsible for coordinating and providing strategic leadership to the UN Country Team (UNCT) in the formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development programmes, as set out in the 2022–2026 Zimbabwe UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (ZUNSDCF), and in leading the development of the next Cooperation Framework for 2027–2031. The RC also leads joint programming, policy advocacy, communications and resource mobilization efforts. In Zimbabwe, the RC further serves as the Designated Official for Safety and Security and as Director of the UN Information Centre.
The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office (UNRCO) supports the RC in fulfilling these roles and functions. In Zimbabwe, the UNRCO also provides inter-agency coordination support to the UN Country Team and its various working groups—including the Programme Management Team, Operations Management Team, UN Communications Group, Partnerships and Development Finance Taskforce, Human Rights Working Group, and the Team of Policy Advisors—to strengthen UN coherence and enhance overall programme impact and results.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Zimbabwe
On 25 June 2026, Dr. Rosemary Kalapurakal of India presented her credentials as the UN Resident Coordinator and the senior-most UN official in Zimbabwe to His Excellency Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of the Republic of Zimbabwe.
Dr. Rosemary Kalapurakal has served as Deputy Director of the United Nations Development Coordination Office (DCO) since 2021, after two years as Chief of Policy and Programme. In these roles, she has led efforts to strengthen the UN Resident Coordinator System, enhancing coherent, effective, and results-oriented support for countries advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Her work has focused in particular on enhancing integrated policy support and scaling up approaches to sustainable development and SDG financing, ensuring that UN country engagement is closely aligned with national development priorities and responsive to evolving fiscal and development challenges.
Dr. Kalapurakal brings over 25 years of experience across the United Nations system, spanning policy leadership, programme delivery, partnerships, and strategic management. She is widely recognized as a compelling advocate and communicator on poverty eradication, sustainable development, and advancing the needs of the most vulnerable and underserved populations.
Prior to joining DCO, she held a range of senior roles in UNDP at both headquarters and in the field. From 2016 to 2018, she served as Lead Advisor on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support, where she also acted as Director of the Sustainable Development Cluster, contributing to global policy guidance and country-level implementation strategies. Earlier, she was Deputy Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, where she advanced partnerships and innovation in development delivery.
Her career also includes regional support roles to UNDP country offices in Asia-Pacific and in Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as leadership of the Governance portfolio in Lao PDR. Across these and other roles, she has consistently championed inclusive approaches to development, with a strong track record in advancing gender equality and disability inclusion.
Dr. Rosemary Kalapurakal holds a doctorate in Business and a master’s degree in economics.
