Jamaica’s Michelle Gyles-McDonnough appointed UN development coordination chief

Michelle Gyles-McDonnough of Jamaica has been appointed the United Nations’ Assistant Secretary-General for Development Coordination, taking charge of a role supporting the organisation’s development work across countries. Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment on 12 November.

She succeeds Oscar Fernandez-Taranco of Argentina. Guterres thanked him for his dedication and commitment to the UN.

Gyles-McDonnough has led the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) since 2025. Before that, she spent eight years in the Secretary-General’s Executive Office as director of its Sustainable Development Unit. Her earlier UN posts included serving as resident coordinator in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, and in Barbados and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States.

The UN said she brings more than three decades of experience in sustainable development, international trade and international relations. Before joining the organisation, she practised international trade law and advised Jamaica’s embassy in Washington and the secretary-general of the Organization of American States on trade matters.

The appointment places a former head of a UN training institute and senior development adviser in the coordination post. The UN announcement did not outline specific priorities or a timetable for her work in the role.