The United Nations has reshuffled couple of Personnel while giving the Associate Administrator of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to Haoliang Xu of China and Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), to Aarti Holla-Maini of the United Kingdom.
Secretary-General Spokesman disclosed this in a Press Briefing on Monday, stating that the UN Chief, Antonio Guterres made Mr. Xu to succeed Usha Rao-Monari of India, and Holla-Maini succeeded Simonetta Di Pippo of Italy respectively.
The Secretary-General, Guterres has expressed his appreciation to the immediate past appointees for their services and commitment during their tenure and grateful for their dedication to the Organizations according to the Spokesman.
The UN Chief also wished to extend his appreciation to the Chief of Committee in UNOOSA’s Policy and Legal Affairs Section, Niklas Hedman of Sweden, who will continue to serve as the Office’s Acting Director until Ms. Holla-Maini assumes the position.
Mr. Xu who has been serving as the Assistant Secretary-General and Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Policy and Programme Support since 2019. From 2013 to 2019, was Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific.
Bringing to the position nearly three decades of experience in the field of international development, Xu held various roles within the Organization, working in field and headquarters assignments in Asia-Pacific, Europe and Central Asia regions. Before his career at UN, he worked in the field of civil engineering in China and the United States.
Xu holds a bachelor’s degree in bridge engineering from Tongji University in China, along with master’s degrees in management science from the Stevens Institute of Technology and in international affairs from Columbia University, both in the United States.
Holla-Maini brings to this position over 25 years of professional experience in space sector, including in managerial, advocacy functions, former Executive Vice-President for Sustainability, Policy & Impact at NorthStar Earth & Space, prior to which she spent over 18 years as Secretary-General of the Global Satellite Operators Association.
Holla-Maini’s experience includes service as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Space; member of the Advisory Group of the Space Sustainability Rating managed by eSpace at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) Space Center.
She was a member of the Advisory Board of the Satellite Industry Association of India; Senior Space Policy Advisor to Forum Europe and Expert Advisor on Space Traffic Management for European Union studies 2021-2023.
She was also one of the chief architects of the Crisis Connectivity Charter established in 2015 for emergency telecommunications via satellite with the World Food Programme’s Emergency Telecommunications Cluster.
Holla-Maini holds a bachelor’s degree in Anglo-German law from King’s College London, a master’s degree in business administration from HEC Paris. She is also alumna of the International Space University and fluent in English, French, German and Punjabi and has moderate knowledge of Dutch.
Meanwhile, UNOOSA works to promote international cooperation in the peaceful use and exploration of space and in the utilization of space science and technology for sustainable economic and social development.