John Hendra
“What does it take to transform some of the world’s most complex organizations? As a former United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and leader experienced in both UN system-wide reform and standing up new organizations, John knows.”
John Hendra brings over 38 years of international experience advancing multilateral effectiveness, development financing, gender equality, organizational reform and global development. As UN Assistant Secretary-General, he played a leading role in repositioning the UN Development System to better deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals, in helping establish UN Women, and as UN Resident Coordinator in pioneering the “Delivering as One” initiative in Vietnam.
Since establishing his own consulting practice after retiring from the UN in 2018, John has advised various high-level organizations, including the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, the World Health Organization (WHO), numerous UN Agencies, the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN), Global Affairs Canada and the German and Swiss Governments among many others. He has also served as a Senior Advisor to the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, as Senior Advisor to the Joint SDG Fund, on the Advisory Council of Canada’s Development Finance Institution (FinDev Canada) and as a member of the High-Level Group to review the governance of The Commonwealth.
A former Yale World Fellow and recipient of multiple international honors, John has published widely on leadership, gender equality, development financing multilateralism and UN Development System reform. He brings extensive demonstrated expertise in supporting organizations through strategic transformations and reform initiatives worldwide.
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John Hendra Experience in the United Nations system
John is a strategic leader with over 36 years of international experience, having served as a United Nations Assistant Secretary-General, as UN Resident Coordinator in Vietnam, Tanzania and Latvia and recently as the founder of JD Hendra Strategic Consulting. He specializes in multilateral effectiveness, organizational reform, development financing, gender equality and transformative leadership.
John has played a key role in major UN-reform initiatives, including repositioning the UN Development System to better support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), establishing UN Women, and pioneering the “Delivering as One” initiative in Vietnam to enhance UN system-wide coherence and impact.
John has advised various high-level organizations, including the Executive Office of the UN Secretary-General, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNDP, Global Affairs Canada, and the German and Swiss Governments among many others. He has also served as a Senior Advisor to the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and to the UN Foundation and on the Advisory Council of Canada’s Development Finance Institution (FinDev Canada).
A former Yale World Fellow and recipient of multiple international honors, John has published extensively on leadership, gender equality, development financing, and multilateralism. He brings extensive expertise in supporting organizations through strategic transformation and reform initiatives worldwide.
Experience Highlights:
- UN Foundation (2023–2025): Advises the Deputy Secretary-General and GEAP Secretariat on implementing gender equality priorities.
- WHO (2021–2022): Strengthened country-level resource mobilization through strategic training and capacity building.
- UN Joint SDG Fund (2019–2022): Advised on stakeholder engagement and integrated SDG support.
- UN ASG & Senior Coordinator (2014–2018): Led the “Fit for Purpose” reforms and major organizational change efforts.
Professional Experience
- President, JD Hendra Strategic Consulting (2019 –)
- UN Assistant Secretary-General / Senior UN Coordinator, UNDG New York (2014 – 2018)
- UN Assistant Secretary-General & Deputy Executive Director, UN Women (2011 – 2014)
- UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative, Vietnam (2006 – 2011)
- UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative, Tanzania (2002 – 2006)
- Director, Division for Resource Mobilization & Deputy Director, BRSP, UNDP New York (1998 – 2002)
- UN Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative, Latvia (1993 – 1997)
- Programme Analysis Officer, Regional Bureau for Arab States, UNDP New York (1989 – 1993)
- Programme Officer / JPO, UNDP South Yemen (1986 – 1988)
Publications
- “Overcoming the Obstacles to UN Reform”, 2025, Project Syndicate (medforfatter: Nilima Gulrajani)
- “The perfect UN Financing storm has arrived: It’s a tsunami!”, 2025, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
- “Reductions, Reallocations and Replenishments – Will this be the year of the big squeeze on the UN Development System?”, 2024, Financing the UN Development System 2024: Resourcing the Future, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation & UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office
- “Pivoting for more dynamic impact – Enhancing UN development policy leadership during times of polycrisis”, 2024, The Art of UN Leadership – Our Duty to Find New Forms, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
- “How Can Leadership by UN Resident Coordinators Become Truly Transformative?”, 2022, The Art of UN Leadership – Painting Perspectives, Staying True to Principles, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation, s. 104–109