Gwi-Yeop Son appointed acting head of UN institute ahead of merger

Gwi-Yeop Son has been appointed acting head of the UN Institute for Training and Research as it prepares to merge with the UN System Staff College and become the UN Institute for Capability and Learning Innovation, with the change targeted for 1 January 2027.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced Son’s appointment on 13 November. She will succeed Michelle Gyles-McDonnough, who is moving to the UN’s development coordination leadership role. Son is currently regional director for Europe and Central Asia at the UN Development Coordination Office, based in Istanbul, a post she has held since 2020.

The UN General Assembly has endorsed the merger, according to the announcement. The new institute’s establishment is targeted for 1 January 2027; the appointment makes Son acting executive director in the meantime.

Son has more than 30 years’ experience in international development with the UN. She previously served as the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan from 2018 to 2020, and has held roles with the UN Development Programme and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.