Date: 25 February 2013

Tribute to Ms. Haiyan Qian, Director of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management, Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Ms. Haiyan Qian, devoted wife to Saijin Zhang, loving mother to Nisi Zhang, and dedicated International Civil Servant for the United Nations, died on the morning of 18 February 2013 at the age of 57 after a heroic battle with cancer.

Throughout the past 33 years, Ms. Qian dedicated her career to global public policy, governance, public administration and development. Since joining the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), Ms. Qian served as Chief Manager of the United Nations Public Administration Network (UNPAN) and Chief of the Knowledge Management Branch before becoming Director of the Division for Public Administration and Development Management (DPADM) on 1 February 2009. Prior to joining UNDESA, Ms. Qian worked for other United Nations agencies, including the Centre for Science and Technology for Development and UNEP’s Centre on Environmentally Sound Technology in Japan. Before joining the United Nations, Ms. Qian worked for the Chinese Government in the area of science and technology for development and served in the Chinese Permanent Mission to the United Nations based in New York, covering the United Nations Second Committee on Economic and Social Affairs.

As noted by Mr. Hongbo Wu, Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, “Haiyan was a wonderful colleague and a great asset to the UN.  Her dedicated service to the Organization’s goals is a source of inspiration to us all.”

Ms. Qian has left a legacy founded on hard work, dedicated service and loyalty. She was a visionary leader who was admired and respected by all her colleagues and others in the field of public administration from around the world.

Ms. Qian received her Bachelor of Arts in Beijing, China and her Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA.

Messages of condolence to Haiyan’s family, friends and colleagues can be posted at http://haiyan.unpan1.org.  

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