Latin America and the Caribbean Region

RCP: Latin America and the Caribbean

Photo: © UNDP Peru/Mónica Suárez Galindo

Regional Collaborative Platform

At the regional level, the Regional Collaborative Platform (RCP) unites all UN entities working on sustainable development to ensure full collaboration and coordination of UN assets in addressing key challenges that transcend country borders. The RCP provides policy support and access to expertise at the service of the specific needs and priorities of each region and in support of the work of Resident Coordinators and UN country teams at the country level.

The RCP is chaired by the Deputy Secretary-General and co-chaired by two Vice-Chairs, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Regional Director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Members of the RCP for Latin America and the Caribbean are: ECLAC (Vice-Chair), UNDP (Vice-Chair), DPPA, FAO, IFAD, ILO, IOM, OCHA, OHCHR, PAHO, UNAIDS, UNDCO, UNDRR, UNEP, UNESCO, UNFPA, UN-HABITAT, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIDO, UNODC, UNOPS, UN-Women, and WFP.

For more information, please visit the regional knowledge management hub. 

Chair

Amina Mohamed portrait

Amina J. Mohammed

Deputy Secretary-General

Ms. Amina J. Mohammed was Minister of Environment of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from November 2015 to December 2016, where she steered the country’s efforts on climate action, protecting the natural environment and conserving resources for sustainable development. 

Prior to this, she served as Special Adviser to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 Development Planning, where she was instrumental in bringing about the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the Sustainable Development Goals. 

Before joining the UN, Ms. Mohammed worked for three successive administrations in Nigeria, serving as Special Advisor on the Millennium Development Goals, providing advice on issues including poverty, public sector reform and sustainable development, and coordinating programmes worth $1 billion annually for MDG-related interventions. 

She is also an Adjunct Professor in Development Practice at Columbia University, and served on numerous international advisory boards and panels, including the UN Secretary-General's High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda, the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development, the Global Development Program of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the African Women’s Millennium Initiative, Girl Effect, 2016 African Union Reform and the ActionAid International Right to Education Project.

Ms. Mohammed began her 35-year career in the private sector with architects and engineers responsible for the project management of health, education and public sector buildings.

Vice-Chair

A man in a black suit and yellow tie stands in front of a blue background with UN logos.

José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs

Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Regional Commission (ECLAC)

Mr. José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs was appointed Executive Secretary of ECLAC by the United Nations’ Secretary-General on September 1, 2022. He took office as from October 3, 2022. Previously he served as Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the International Labour Organization (ILO) from 2015-2018. He joined the ILO in 2005 as Executive Director of its Employment Sector and served as Assistant Director General for Policy from 2013 to 2015.

Prior to joining the ILO, he served from 1998 to 2005 as Director of the Trade Unit of the Organization of American States. Mr. Salazar was Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica from 1997 to 1998, Executive President of the Costa Rican Development Corporation from 1988-1990 and Chief Economist and then Executive Director of a Central American private sector think tank (FEDEPRICAP) from 1990-1996. In the academic sphere, he is also the author of numerous journal articles on development, trade, productive transformation, competitiveness and employment policies, and has written and edited several books. He has taught at the University of Costa Rica, the National University of Heredia, Cambridge University and Georgetown University.

He holds a master’s degree in Development Economics and a doctorate in Economics from Cambridge University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Costa Rica.

Vice-Chair

A woman in a green collared shirt stands next to a UN flag.

Michelle Muschett

Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean

Ms. Michelle Muschett was appointed Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator, and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in November 2022.

Ms. Muschett is a social policy and global development specialist with multisectoral experience in leadership positions. Before joining UNDP, she served as Senior Public Policy Adviser and Executive Education Director for Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative, advising governments and policymakers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America in their efforts to address multidimensional poverty. She was also Senior Policy and Strategy Adviser for the Fourth Sector Group, providing guidance in mobilizing collective leadership and action for scaling business models and in leveraging development finance to accelerate the transition towards more inclusive, sustainable and resilient economic systems globally.

In the public sector, Ms. Muschett held the position of Deputy Minister and Minister of Social Development of Panama. During her tenure, she led the process of developing the first national Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI); the creation of the first Childhood MPI in the Latin American region; and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals at the national level through civic participation and strategic partnerships. She also chaired the National Concertation Council for Development, a legally established dialogue space aimed at building consensus among multiple sectors of society around national development priorities.

Ms. Muschett holds master’s degrees in Public Administration from Cornell University, United States; Commercial Law from Externado University of Colombia, Colombia; and Management of Heritage and Cultural Projects from the Institute for Art and Restoration Palazzo Spinelli, Italy. She speaks Spanish, English, and Italian.

UN Country Teams for RCP: Latin America and the Caribbean
UN Entities in this Region