Joyce Msuya currently serves as Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and  Emergency Relief Coordinator (USG/ERC) in the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian  Affairs (OCHA), a role to which she was designated by the UN Secretary-General on 1 July 2024  until the appointment of the next USG/ERC. 

Ms. Msuya has served OCHA as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy  Emergency Relief Coordinator (ASG/DERC) since February 2022. In that capacity, she has acted  as Chair of the IASC Deputies Group and currently sits on the International Advisory Committee  for the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29).  

In her first two years as ASG/DERC, Ms. Msuya has focused on strengthening engagement within the IASC Deputies Group, revitalizing OCHA's Human Resource and budget committees, and  advancing OCHA’s People Strategy. She has played a pivotal role in resource mobilization, key  partnership building, and led climate change initiatives for COP28. In her strategic leadership,  she emphasizes empowerment, accountability, and data-driven decision-making. 

Ms. Msuya has more than 20 years of experience in international development and finance, with diverse assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  

From 2018 to January 2022 she served as Deputy Executive Director of the UN Environment  Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi, Kenya. During this time, she served a stint as UNEP’s interim Executive Director between 2018 and 2019, leading the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly and pushing forward resource mobilization in support of its mission. 

Prior to this, Ms. Msuya held several senior leadership roles at the World Bank Group, including  that of Special Representative and Head of the World Bank Group Office in the Republic of Korea; Regional Coordinator at the World Bank Institute, based in China; and Special Adviser to the World  Bank’s then Senior Vice President and Chief Economist. She also led strategy and operations for the  International Finance Corporation in Africa and Latin America, covering the manufacturing,  agribusiness and services sectors. 

Ms. Msuya is a Tanzanian national. She is fluent in English, Swahili and Pare, and conversant in Mandarin. She holds a Master of Science in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Ottawa,  Canada, and a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Immunology from the University of Strathclyde,  Scotland.