Lionel Laurens

UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia

Mr. Lionel Laurens assumed the role of UNDP Resident Representative in Mongolia on 5 August 2026. In this capacity, the RR is delegated authority by the UNDP Administrator to provide leadership to the UNDP management team to deliver high impact results in Mongolia. He exercises accountability for UNDP’s policy, programme, partnerships, resources and business operations. 

Prior to his appointment, Mr. Laurens served as UNDP Resident Representative in Somalia (2023-2026), Resident Representative in Zambia (2019-2023), and Country Director of UNDP Guinea (2015-2019). 

Previously, he held senior programme leadership positions with UNDP in Sierra Leone, Iraq, and Afghanistan, leading initiatives in governance, economic recovery, poverty reduction, resilience, and crisis response. 

Mr. Laurens also served as Senior Technical Advisor to the World Bank-supported Poverty Reduction Fund in the Lao People's Democratic Republic and worked with the Government of Laos, the International Labour Organization, and UNDP on participatory development approaches. Earlier in his career, he worked on humanitarian and development programmes in Cambodia, Haiti, Georgia, and Liberia. 

A French national, Mr. Laurens holds a Master of Engineering and Management from the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers, France, and an MSc in Sustainability and Responsibility from Ashridge Business School, United Kingdom.