Economist – UN Resident Coordination Office Colombo

About the role

The United Nations Resident Coordination Office in Colombo is seeking an Economist to provide substantive economic analysis and evidence‑based advice to support sustainable development, economic transformation and SDG financing.

Key responsibilities

• Research, analyze and present economic, social and sustainable development data, identifying emerging trends, good practices and policy options for accelerating progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Support the Resident Coordinator and United Nations Country Team with evidence‑based policy analysis, briefing materials and recommendations on economic transformation, macro‑economic trends and SDG financing.
• Contribute economic and financing analysis to the Common Country Analysis, United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework and joint programmes, integrating data, digital tools and strategic foresight.
• Engage with government counterparts, UN entities, international financial institutions, private sector, academia and civil society to promote coherent policy support and partnership opportunities for sustainable economic transformation.
• Monitor national, regional and global economic developments, assess implications for the country context and provide inputs for humanitarian‑development‑peace nexus approaches.
• Research innovative SDG financing mechanisms, blended financing approaches and private‑sector participation, preparing briefing notes and background materials for senior UN officials.