UNDP showdown: the candidates, the donor grants, and what Guterres wants

Achim Steiner, the Brazilian-German who has served as Administrator of UNDP for the past eight years, steps down this month. Currently, there are five candidates vying to replace him.

• Izumi Nakamitsu (Japan), currently the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs at the UN
• Chrysoula Zacharopoulou (France), a former French development minister
• Alexander De Croo (Belgium), a former Prime Minister
• Jens Christian Wandel (Denmark), Special Adviser to the UN Secretary General
• Bård Vegar Solhjell (Norway), head of Norway’s aid agency Norad

The original deadline for applying was May 26, but it was extended to June 9. The five candidates have the full backing of their governments. According to press reports, the former Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, now also has support from his government at home. De Croo emerges as a front-runner.  

The Japanese candidate Izumi Nakamitsu may also have a leg up in a race where all candidates represent wealthy countries; not one is from the Global South. Asia has never had the top position at the UNDP, and she is the only Asian candidate. In the 1990s, Nakamitsu held many UN positions at headquarters and in the field, followed by a ten year-period when she was a Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and Chef de Cabinet at the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) in Stockholm. She has also been an advisor for the Japanese aid agency JICA.

Through most of her later career, she has held senior positions at the UN. However, Nakamitsu lacks political experience from government, which the Belgian, French, and Norwegian candidates bring to the table.

Donor math

In past recruitment processes, geographic spread, donor performance, and political deal making have always been part of the considerations, although on face value, the decision is based on a candidate’s merit. The UNDP Administrator is considered the third highest ranked UN position. The first five administrators of the UNDP were Americans, but the United States is no longer a dominant donor in the organisation. In 1999, Mark Malloch Brown of the United Kingdom became the first European to head the agency, followed by the Turkish politician Kemal Derviş (2005-2009), who at the time was labelled as a candidate from a developing country. In 2017, Steiner of Germany succeeded Helen Clark, the former New Zealand Prime Minister.

Since all the current contenders come from donor countries, it is relevant to ask how much money might matter in the race for the UNDP top spot. Admittedly, neither New Zealand nor Turkey have been large UNDP donors. Last year, the largest bilateral UNDP donor was Germany (USD 374m), followed by Japan (USD 246m). Norway was just behind, while Denmark has also been a steady donor. (See Table)

Being the second largest UNDP donor might give Japan another edge here. Norway and Denmark, both significant contributors to UNDP, have put forward candidates before, but have never managed to seize the top spot. Belgium and France are much less generous donors to UNDP. The contribution of France, a G7 country, is especially weak.

“The UNDP is an important partner for Japan in promoting development cooperation,” spokesperson for the Japanese Mission to the UN in New York Shoji Takashi says to Development Today. “The government of Japan will continue to work closely with the UNDP to accelerate efforts to address global issues and realize a sustainable society.” He adds that the Japanese government nominated Nakamitsu for the position as UNDP Administrator before the orginal deadline for applying May 26.   

Top 8 UNDP donors, plus Belgium and France 2024 (USDm):   

*Holds current UNDP Administrator
** Competing for the UNDP Administrator job
Source: UNDP

The UNDP Administrator’s job will be centred around the 2030 Agenda. The Secretary General is seeking an individual who has demonstrated leadership experience with strategic vision and proven skills in managing complex organisations and has “intellectual leadership, creativity and proven ability to propose new ideas”. The job description also calls for a “proven track record of change management, reform implementation [and] ability to work harmoniously in a multi-cultural team”. UNDP operates in 170 countries and is a key organisation in the UN reform process.

The Danish reformer

Some observers say that the answer is having a UNDP chief with deep understanding of the system to be able to push through reforms.

Like Nakamitsu, Denmark’s candidate Jens Wandel is a veteran of the UN system. He served as Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Turkmenistan and has been one of Secretary General António Guterres’ most trusted men. In February, he was appointed Special Adviser on UN reform and is said to be deeply involved in the wide-ranging reform process that is currently under discussion at the UN.  

The Danish diplomacy has for some time had a low-key campaign for Wandel’s candidacy. Noting that it is the UN Secretary General’s prerogative to appoint the next Administrator of the UNDP, a statement from the Danish Foreign Ministry to Development Today confirms that Wandal’s candidacy has “full backing” from the government.

“He has extensive experience with international strategic leadership [and] has worked at the UN for more than 35 years, delivering strong results on reform of the UN system,” the ministry states, adding that it would be a “huge benefit” for the UN if Wandel were to be selected.

Notably, following a fraud scandal at the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Copenhagen, the Norwegian executive Grete Faremo was forced to resign in disgrace. Several investigations were initiated, and Guterres turned to Wandel to clean up the mess and restore trust in the agency.

If Guterres prioritizes a candidate with inside knowledge of the UN, who can navigate UN politics during a challenging reform process, Wandel, backed by a trusted UNDP donor, might have a good chance.

France speaks up for its candidate

Some argue, however, that what the world body now needs is not a UN bureaucrat but a politician to run UNDP, drive the reform, and be visible in the global political landscape.

The three other candidates all have skills in this direction. Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, is a Greek-French doctor and politician who served as Minister of State for Development and International Partnerships until last September. She is a member of the centre-right Renaissance Party and has been a member of the European Parliament.

A diplomatic source in Paris confirms to Development Today that the French government actively supports Zacharopoulou for the post of Administrator of UNDP. “This candidacy reflects France’s unwavering commitment to an ambitious, effective and representative multilateralism to meet contemporary challenges and its determination to contribute ever more to the essential work of the United Nations development system, of which UNDP is a key component,” the source says. 

She has “a committed and ambitious vision” for the multilateral system and “has demonstrated a strong commitment to global health, international solidarity, climate justice, and strengthening partnerships with Africa. Through her fight for the treatment of endometriosis, she has committed herself to women’s health and rights, alongside civil society,” the diplomatic source says. 

Zacharopoulou has also been the Vice President of the Committee on Development in the European Parliament, Vice President of the ACP-EU delegation and Co-Chair of the COVAX Vaccine Solidarity Mechanism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though France’s contribution to UNDP is weak, it is an influential country in the UN and cannot be written off in a race for a top UN position.

Surprise moves

The Nordics have a tradition for supporting joint candidates. In mid-May, the Foreign Ministry in Oslo made a surprise announcement that Norad chief Bård Vegar Solhjell would be Norway’s candidate for the UNDP job, in competition with the Dane, Wandel.

“Solhjell has led the reform process of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and is exceptionally well qualified to lead UNDP,” said Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust at the time. Increasing the number of Norwegians with key roles in international organisations has been an aim of successive Norwegian governments, he added.

Aukrust highlighted that Norway provides significant funding to the UN. Solhjell, a former Socialist Left politician, has earlier served as Minister of Education and Research and Minister of Environment and was State Secretary to then Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg between 2005 and 2007. Solhjell has been the Director General of Norad since 2020, during a period when the government expanded the agency’s role in managing Norwegian aid.

Solhjell’s bid for UNDP was unexpected for several Norwegian insiders because, prior to the announcement, the Foreign Ministry had mapped out upcoming vacant international positions and singled out the job of UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva as the next target.

Norway has also been cautious about launching contenders. Solhjell’s candidacy marks Norway’s first effort to go for the top post at a major UN agency since Faremo resigned from UNOPS in May 2022 and, three and a half year earlier, another Norwegian, the highly profiled head of the UN Environment Program, Erik Solheim, was forced to resign after an audit by the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) criticised excessive travel costs and allegedly unjustified expenses.

De Croo meanwhile emerged as a heavyweight candidate just before the original deadline expired.

If Guterres is looking for a candidate with political leadership experience and clout, the Belgian former PM may have just the right CV. The liberal Belgian politician has also been Minister of Finance and Minister for Development.

But even De Croo’s entrance in the ring came with a twist, as it appeared initially that he had applied on his own. Development Today approached the Belgian Foreign Ministry Tuesday and was told that the ministry “cannot confirm Alexander De Croo’s candidature for the position of UNDP Administrator. The only thing that can currently be confirmed is the government's support for Nicole De Moor for the position of head of UNHCR.”

The matter was quickly clarified by the Belgian press, which reported that De Croo had received support from his political opponents, current Prime Minister Bart De Wever and Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot. Later in the week, he left for New York to promote his candidacy, his spokesperson said.

Correction: A spokesperson for the Japanese Mission to the UN has clarified to Development Today that the Government of Japan's nomination of Izumi Nakamitsu for the position as UNDP Administrator was submitted to the United Nations Secretariat before the original deadline of May 26. The article has been updated to reflect this. An earlier version of this article suggested that Japan needed more time to formalise the nomination.