New Resident Representative of UNDP Indonesia, Mr. Norimasa Shimomura Officially Takes Office

November 19, 2020

Jakarta, 19 November 2020 – Mr Norimasa Shimomura today officially took office as the new Resident Representative of UNDP Indonesia, following the presentation of his credentials to Foreign Minister of Indonesia, H.E. Ms. Retno Marsudi.

During the event, held virtually this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Shimomura thanked the Government of Indonesia for partnership and cooperation and commended Indonesia’s commitment to the Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) as he outlined the strategic vision of UNDP in Indonesia

“I applaud the country’s commitment to developing human resource development, economic, financial inclusion and low carbon development. I also admire the government’s understanding of the important nexus between peace, security and sustainable development, as demonstrated in its leadership in promoting the agenda on women, peace and security during its Presidency of the UN Security Council. I am delighted to see that Indonesia will be an active member of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Mr. Shimomura also expressed his appreciation to the Government of Indonesia for supporting the formulation of UNDP’s new Country Program Document for 2021-25 and its support for South-South cooperation.

“Indonesia’s serious commitment to addressing people’s concerns for health and livelihood is commendable and I look forward to working together to find innovative solutions to work through the challenges of this unprecedented time. Thanks to Indonesia’s foresight, UNDP has been a partner to a number of strategic initiatives that propels Indonesia’s own effort to achieve the SDGs but those which also set good examples for other countries to learn from and follow. I have every confidence that our continued engagement will ensure we leave no one behind,” he added.

During the meeting, Ms. Marsudi expressed her appreciation for the partnership between the Government of Indonesia and UNDP. She also reiterated Indonesia’s strong commitment to meeting the SDGs agenda, adding that a COVID-19 pandemic recovery should be driven by a commitment for the Global Agenda.

Prior to this appointment, Mr. Shimomura was the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kazakhstan. Previously he was UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan and has also worked at UNDP in Montenegro, Tajikistan, Albania, North Macedonia and Georgia. He has also held leadership positions at UNDP headquarters Regional Bureau for Europe & CIS and served as Special Assistant to the Director of UNDP’s Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery. He was also Economic Advisor at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations serving as delegate for the GA Second Committee, ECOSOC and its subsidiary committees, and UNDP/UNFPA Executive Board.

He began his career at UNDP in Turkmenistan and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

A Japanese national, Mr. Shimomura holds a postgraduate degree in International Affairs from Columbia University in the City of New York and a Bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan.

Media Contact
UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, Tomi Soetjipto, suryo.tomi@undp.org

UNDP Indonesia Communication Advocacy Specialist, Ranjit Jose Ranjit.jose@undp.org