Carlos Lopes, a national of Guinea-Bissau, is an economist, author and the former head of the  United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (Uneca). He led the research institution in West Africa (INEP) and reforming the 20-year old United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) evaluation system.

Mr. Lopes has authored or edited 20 books and taught at Universities and academic institutions in Lisbon, Coimbra, Zurich, Uppsala, Mexico, San Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.  He is affiliated with a number of academic networks, has helped establish non-governmental organizations and was a consultant for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the Research and Technological Exchange Group (GRET) and Ruraltec Switzerland.  He created one of the first national working groups of the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa, based in Dakar, in 1984.

Mr. Lopes has managed UNDP’s global programme, with a portfolio of $1 billion, and acted for over a year at the level of Assistant Secretary-General.  In June 2003 he became the United Nations Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Brazil, the largest UNDP programme in the world.  Since November 2005, he has been Director in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General in charge of political, peacekeeping and humanitarian affairs.

Mr. Lopes has several degrees from the Graduate Institute of Development Studies, University of Geneva, and a PhD in history from the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne.  He speaks fluent English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.