Rima Khalaf

Who is Rima Khalaf?

Rima Khalaf, a national of Jordan, was appointed as Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ESCWA by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Ms. Rima Khalaf Hunaidi held several high-ranking ministerial positions in Jordan, including:

Minister of Industry and Trade.

Minister of Planning.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Planning.

In her capacity as Deputy Prime Minister and head of the ministerial economic team, Ms. Khalaf promoted economic reform in Jordan while working on promoting social development through building human capital, alleviating poverty and strengthening social safety nets.

Ms. Khalaf held the position of Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at the United Nations Development Programme from 2000 to 2006. She led important regional initiatives on education, knowledge acquisition and economic growth in the Arab States. She was the founder of the pioneering Arab Human Development Report. The first Report in the series, entitled “Creating Opportunities for Future Generations,” received the 2003 Prince Claus Award. The third Report, entitled “Towards Freedom in the Arab World,” received the King Hussein Leadership Prize in 2005.