Kanni Wignaraja

Kanni Wignaraja is a Sri Lankan development practitioner and United Nations official who currently serves as an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). She has held high-ranking positions across the UN system and contributes to global development discourse through publications and media appearances.

Early life and education Wignaraja was born in Sri Lanka. She earned a degree in economics from Bryn Mawr College in the United States and a Master's in Public Administration (MPA) from Princeton University, where she focused on development economics.

Career Wignaraja began her career in international development in the early 1990s, working with national and international organisations to promote governance reforms and strengthen institutional capacity. She held key positions within UNDP country offices in Zambia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

United Nations career From 2014 to 2018, Wignaraja served as Director of the UN Development Operations Coordination Office (DOCO), where she oversaw more than 130 UN Resident Coordinators.

In November 2019, she was appointed as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific. In this role, she oversees strategic development programming in 36 countries and territories, with a focus on climate action, inclusive growth, and governance.

Thought leadership Wignaraja is the co-editor of The Great Upheaval (2022), a UNDP-published book analysing emerging development trends in Asia-Pacific. She is also the lead author of Capacity Development: A UNDP Primer (2009), which explores the UN's approach to institutional strengthening.

She has publicly advocated for universal basic income as a response to growing inequality during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, she co-authored an op-ed on climate-related credit risks for vulnerable countries.

Media and public engagement Wignaraja has appeared on major international media platforms including CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg, and NDTV, discussing topics ranging from development financing to gender equity and humanitarian crises.