We are delighted to welcome Mr. Ugo Blanco, the newly-appointed Resident Representative of the UNDP Multi-Country Office for Trinidad and Tobago, Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten. 
Mr Blanco, a national of Spain, brings to the office sixteen years of experience working with UNDP, most of which involved issues affecting the Caribbean, including crises in Haiti, natural disasters and the Covid-19 pandemic.  
Prior to his appointment to the Port of Spain office, Mr Blanco was stationed in Bridgetown for four years where he was the Deputy Resident Representative for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean MCO which covers ten countries and territories.

His career highlights include:

• Senior Recovery Advisor for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (2018-2019). 
• Regional Advisor on Latin America and the Caribbean (2014-2018). 
• Part of the UN response in Nepal following the earthquake of 2015 and the Ebola crisis in the Horn of Africa (2014).
• Special Assistant to the UN Assistant-Secretary General and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean (2013-2014). 
• Head of Recovery, Livelihoods and Poverty Reduction Unit in Haiti (2012-2013).
• Early Recovery Cluster Coordinator in Haiti after the earthquake (2010-2012).
• Programme analyst, Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Global Pooled Fund, UNDP New York (2009-2010).
• Programme Officer for Disaster Management and Avian Flu, UNDP Vietnam (2007-2009)

Before joining UNDP, Mr Blanco was the Spanish representative of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECID) in Indonesia (2005-2006).  
He holds a Bachelor degree and Master’s degree in Political Sciences and Public Administration from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain; a Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Development from the University Institute of Development and Cooperation, Madrid, Spain; and a Master’s degree in Human Resources Management Administration from the School of Politics, Madrid, Spain.