The UN Resident Coordinator Office
The UN Country Team, representing the UN development system in Libya, is comprised of 19 resident and non-resident UN Agencies, Funds and Programmes and UNSMIL working to support implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals for all people in Libya.
The purpose of the UN Resident Coordinator Office (RCO) is to maximize, through strategic coordination, the work of the UNCT to provide a collective, coherent, and integrated response to national priorities and needs, within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and other international commitments.
The UN in Libya has in place a United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework for 2023-26 that guides its collective work in support of Libya’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. To support implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, the UN aims to advance political stability and reconciliation, including through unification of more effective, democratic, inclusive, and representative national institutions. Work is underway to support the unification and strengthening of security, justice, rule of law, and human rights institutions to enable them to better promote and protect human rights based on the principles of inclusivity, non-discrimination, and equality. The UN in Libya is also focused on working with counterparts on sustainable economic development, social and human capital.
The Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Libya performs the following key functions:
- Strategic planning
- Development economics
- Partnerships and development finance
- Data and results management and reporting
- Communications and advocacy
The UN Resident Coordinator in Libya
Ingeborg Ulrika Ulfsdotter Richardson of Sweden is the Deputy Special Representative of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and Resident Coordinator of Libya. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres appointed her on 8 August 2025.
She has over 30 years of experience in development and humanitarian assistance and post-conflict recovery, with a focus on complex political, socio-economic, and human rights contexts. She has spent most of her career with the United Nations, serving in various regions, including West and Central Africa, the Caribbean, the Western Balkans, and South-East Europe.
Ms. Richardson was the Deputy Special Representative for the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH), Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Haiti, before her appointment in Libya. She was previously the Development Coordinator in Kosovo, working closely with the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) (2018-2022). Her earlier assignments include serving as the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund and United Nations Population Fund in Cabo Verde (2013-2018), UNDP Resident Representative in Gabon (2012-2013), and Deputy Resident Representative in Türkiye (2007-2012) and in Cuba (2004-2007).
Ms. Richardson holds a master’s degree in development economics from Gothenburg University and a Bachelor of Social Science from Lund University, both in Sweden. In addition to her native Swedish, she is fluent in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish.
