Appointment of the Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
Statement by Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Toily Kurbanov as the new Executive Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV).
With over twenty-five years of leadership experience at the international and national level, Toily until now was the Deputy Executive Coordinator of UN Volunteers where he played an important role in positioning UNV in the context of Agenda 2030 and UN reform. His professional expertise and leadership journey include a wide spectrum of development and management issues, including sustainable development in countries in transition and in fragile contexts, public policy, public administration and organizational transformation.
In his role as Executive Coordinator of UNV, Toily will lead efforts to promote volunteerism across the globe to build forward better and as means of implementing the Agenda 2030. As UNV is a common UN asset administered by UNDP, he will also become a member of the Organizational Performance Group.
Before joining UNV as Deputy Executive Coordinator in 2016, Toily served as UNDP Country Director in Myanmar (2012-2016), UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Fiji and Pacific Island Countries (2007-2012) and in the Office of Planning and Budgeting at UNDP Headquarters (2004-2006). Prior to that he had a distinguished career in banking, government and diplomacy in Central Asia and South Caucasus.
Toily holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University and in Economics from Russian Economic University. He speaks English and Russian.
Please join me in extending a warm congratulations to Toily for his new position at this significant point in time. Toily will assume his role in January 2021.
I also want to express my heartfelt thanks to Olivier Adam for his leadership of UNV over the past years.
Best wishes,
Achim Steiner
UNDP Administrator