Regional Bureau for Asia & the Pacific (RBAP): Director's Corner

"This past year has been remarkable in many ways for the world and for our region. The unprecedented democratic wave that swept through the Arab states transformed the global geopolitical landscape. The world welcomed a new country in Africa – South Sudan. But the winds of change did not skip Asia and were felt in our region too. Promising steps towards greater openness in Myanmar have been encouraging and UNDP is preparing a new programme to be able to respond to the emerging opportunities. Nepal saw a new momentum after the signing of the 7-point peace agreement in November, which will boost our efforts to further help the country consolidate stability and embark on a new path of human development. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will be undergoing a transition. Afghanistan is starting a transition to a troop withdrawal and greater reliance on local capacities following a second Bonn conference a decade after the first one." Read more

Ajay Chhibber assumed the position of Director of UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in July 2008. Prior to that, he worked at the World Bank for almost 25 years on a range of development issues, managing its programs in Vietnam, Turkey, Indonesia and the Pacific. He was the lead author of the seminal work on Governance at the World Bank and the 1997 World Development Report on the Role of the State. He has published widely including five books on economic development and many articles in international journals and major newspapers. He has a PhD from Stanford University and a Masters from the Delhi School of Economics. He has also taught economics at Georgetown University and the University of Delhi.