The Resident Coordinator's Office
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the United Nations is represented by 20 resident and non-resident entities that carry out their respective activities. The UN Country Team (UNCT) is made up of representatives of the agencies, funds and specialized programmes. As the head of the country team (UNCT), the UN Resident Coordinator (RC) guides and supports the work of the UNCT, ensuring effective coordination and cooperation within the mandates of each UN entity.
The UN Resident Coordinator's Office (RCO) is the main support structure for the activities of the RC and the UNCT, to help strengthen the joint activities of the United Nations system in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Its mission is to maximize, in a coordinated manner, the work of the United Nations to ensure that the system provides a collective, coherent and integrated assistance to national priorities and needs, within the framework of the Global Goals and other international commitments.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Iran
United Nations Secretary‑General António Guterres appointed Christine Weigand of Austria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Iran, with the host Government’s approval. Her appointment is effective as of 1 February.
Ms. Weigand brings extensive experience in development cooperation to the position, with a strong track record in providing strategic senior leadership in complex development settings, strengthening high‑level partnerships, and advancing integrated, mandate‑driven initiatives at the country level. She most recently served as Representative of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Armenia, providing strategic leadership at the country level, strengthening high‑level policy dialogue and partnerships, and supporting nationally led development priorities through coordinated engagements. She also worked as UNICEF Representative in Turkmenistan, where she led the design and implementation of the UNICEF country programme and broadened national and international partnerships. During this period, she served as United Nations Resident Coordinator ad interim in Turkmenistan from 2020 to 2021, providing overall leadership and coordination to the United Nations Country Team. She took on other leadership positions, including UNICEF Deputy Representative in Iran and Chief of Social Policy and Evaluation at UNICEF Madagascar.
Before joining the Organization, she worked as Sector Economist for Social Protection and Project Manager at KfW Entwicklungsbank, the German development bank, from 2008 to 2011, where she engaged with all stakeholders of German bilateral development cooperation, including the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and Members of the German Parliament. She managed an extensive project portfolio in education, HIV/AIDS and social protection in Malawi, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Earlier in her career, Ms Weigand served as part of a global expert team on social protection, providing technical support on social safety net programmes and public expenditure reviews in the social sectors at the World Bank in Washington, D.C., USA.
Ms. Weigand holds a master’s degree in international economic studies from Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
She is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German.
