Harare, 12 April 2019 - Today, newly appointed UNDP Zimbabwe Resident Representative, Mr. Georges van Montfort, presented his credentials to Hon. Lt. Gen (Rtd) Dr. Sibusiso Moyo, Minister of Foreign Affairs & International Trade.

Receiving Mr. van Montfort in his new post, Minister Moyo said his accreditation comes at a time when Zimbabwe is to work closer with partners in re-building after the Cyclone Idai devastation, and also in making sure no one goes hungry as a result of the 2018-2019 drought.

Mr. van Montfort appreciated the priviledge for UNDP to continue working with Zimbabwe's Government, and expressed it is a responsibility the United Nations agency does not take lightly. He also highlighted to Minister Moyo that in addition to addressing the drought through the Zimbabwe Resilience Building Fund, UNDP has began work in the Early Recovery and response in the Cyclone Idai affected communities.

Georges van Monfort was UNDP Zimbabwe's Country Director until December 2018, and as a result of UN Reforms, was successfully appointed as the Resident Representative.

Prior to joining UNDP Zimbabwe, he was the Regional Advisor and Cluster Leader for East and Southern Africa in UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa in New York (2011-2017) overseeing the work of 17 UNDP country offices in the sub-region. He has served as Deputy Resident Representative in UNDP Lesotho (2008 – 2011) prior to which he was management advisor in UNDP’s internal Management Consulting Team (2004-2008), promoting operational efficiency and a focus on development results at global, regional and country level. Georges started his career with UNDP, in Tunisia as a programme and coordination analyst (2002-2004).

Prior to UNDP, he worked as management consultant and analyst at Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) supporting post-merger integration in the private sector in Europe and the Americas (1998 – 2002). He has a master degree in Mathematics and computer science from Delft University of Technology (Netherlands). Georges is married and father of two.