The Resident Coordinator Office
The United Nations Resident Coordinator Office (UN RCO) operates under the strategic guidance of the UN Resident Coordinator. The Office supports the UN Resident Coordinator and UN Country Team (UNCT) in the development, implementation, monitoring and reporting of the UN Cooperation Framework (former UNDAF). The Office facilitates mechanisms that ensure full participation of all members of the UNCT in consultations and decision-making processes. In line with priorities of the UN Cooperation Framework, but also mandates of UN agencies, the UN Coordination Office supports coordination of common programming in relation to Agenda 2030, joint programmes and development coordination work.
Within the UN Reform launched by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in early 2019, the UN Resident Coordinator Office is in charge of following responsibilities:
- Strategic planning;
- Development economics;
- Partnerships and development finance;
- Data and results management and reporting;
- Communications and advocacy.
Supported by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, a Human Rights Adviser operates as an integral part of the UN RCO in Montenegro. She provides support to the Resident Coordinator and the UNCT, but also national stakeholders including Government, civil society organisations and national human rights institutions.
The UN Resident Coordinator in Montenegro
Diego Zorrilla Orsat of Spain serves as the UN Resident Coordinator a.i. to Montenegro as of 1 September 2024. Previously, he served as the Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, overseeing one of the world's largest humanitarian operations. Previously, he held the same position in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Before that he served as the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Representative in Tunisia (2017-2020) and Ecuador (2012-2017).
In over 31 years of UN experience, Mr. Zorrilla worked in fourteen different countries, most of them in crisis and post-crisis contexts. He has held leadership roles in peacebuilding, peacekeeping, political mediation, development, and humanitarian response and in UN Headquarters.
Mr. Zorrilla holds a law degree from Madrid's Autonoma University and a master's in Law from the Instituto de Empresa. He is fluent in Spanish, French, English, and Italian.
