The UN Resident Coordinator Office

The Resident Coordinator (RC) with strengthened authority and leadership, is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level and is the designated representative of – and reports to the UN Secretary-General. They are responsible for the coordination of operational activities for development of the UN in support of countries’ efforts towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda; they lead and supports the UNCT in the development, monitoring and reporting of the UN Cooperation Frameworks. (S)he coordinates the UNCT’s implementation of the UN Cooperation Framework, and works with UNCT members to ensure alignment of both agency programmes and inter-agency pooled funding for development with national development needs and priorities, as well as with the UN Cooperation Framework and 2030 Agenda. The RC supports, catalyzes and advocates for the work of UNCT members and supports all UNCT members, including Non-Resident Agencies (NRAs), in reaching their agency-specific goals. The RC leads the UN Country Team in consultations with the host Government to define and agree on the UN’s strategic response to the government’s priorities. On the basis of these country-specific responses, the RC also has a role in facilitating a dialogue between UNCT members and government counterparts on country-level presence of the UN development system, to ensure an effective, efficient and responsive field structure.

The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in the Republic of Kazakhstan operates under the UN Resident Coordinator’s strategic guidance and it supports establishment and implementation of mechanisms that ensure all members can fully participate in UN country team (UNCT) consultations and decision-making processes and are informed through regular communications and information sharing.

The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan fulfills the following five key functions in support of the responsibilities of the RC and the UNCT:

  • Strategic planning
  • Development economics
  • Partnerships and development finance
  • Data and results management and reporting
  • Communications and advocacy

 

UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey

Ms. Michaela Friberg-Storey, a Swedish national, brings over 25 years of humanitarian, international development, and peacebuilding expertise. Since 2020, she has been serving as the UN Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan, where she oversees the UN's efforts in the country, aligning UN agency programs with national development needs in line with the UN Cooperation Framework to support the implementation of Agenda 2030.

Before her current role, Ms. Friberg-Storey served as a Senior Advisor at the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, managed and led the Swedish "whole of government approach" to Security Sector Reform, and led international humanitarian programs at the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

She has held management positions in human rights and elections operations under the UN mandate and led the European integration efforts during her ten-year tenure with the UN Mission in Kosovo, where she also served as Advisor to the UNSG Special Envoy. Her international career began in the late 1990s, when she worked with Médecins Sans Frontières on humanitarian field missions.

Ms. Friberg-Storey holds a postgraduate degree in Humanitarian Assistance from Uppsala University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science from Stockholm University. In addition to her native Swedish, she speaks English, French, and has some knowledge of Russian language.

 

UN Resident Coordinator Office Team in Kazakhstan

Michaela Friberg-Storey

Michaela Friberg-Storey

United Nations Resident Coordinator for Kazakhstan