Secretary-General appoints Mr. Francisco Pichon of Colombia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cuba

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Francisco Pichon of Colombia as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cuba, with the host Government’s approval. He will take up his post on 12 November. 

Mr. Pichon brings more than over 25 years of experience in delivering agriculture and rural development lending operations, conducting policy dialogue, fostering partnerships, and leading strategy development in low and middle-income countries in Africa and Latin America.

Prior to his appointment as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Francisco Pichon held several senior positions with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) as Country Programme Manager in the Latin America and Caribbean Region; Lead Portfolio Adviser in the East and Southern Africa Region; Country Director and Representative for Tanzania and Rwanda; and Country Director for Mexico, Cuba and Grenada. Until his appointment as United Nations Resident Coordinator in Cuba, he served as Head of the IFAD Mekong Hub and Country Director and Representative for Viet Nam and Thailand, based in Hanoi.  

Prior to joining IFAD, Mr. Pichon worked at the World Bank in Africa and Latin America. He designed and supervised a wide range of projects and programmes related to land, forestry, rural productivity, territorial development and ecosystem management, and led analytical work and strategy development. Mr. Pichon also held other research and teaching positions at the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Inter-American Foundation, and the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration.

Francisco Pichon holds a Ph.D. in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.  

He is married and is the proud father of three sons and a daughter.