Elliot Harris was the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and Chief Economist of the UN from April 2018 until December 2021. He served previously as Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the UN Office in New York of the UN Environment Programme, and of the UN Environment Management group from 2013-2018. From September 2009 until October 2013, he was the Vice Chair of the High-Level Committee on Programs (HLCP) of the UN Chief Executives Board for Coordination.
Prior to joining the United Nations, Elliot worked as an Economist in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from 1988 to 2013, gaining extensive policy and programmatic experience in African and Central Asian countries, as well as in the Fiscal Affairs Department on public expenditure policy issues. From July 2002 onward, he served as Advisor and Assistant Director in the IMF’s Strategy, Policy and Review Department, including as Chief of the Development Issues Division. From September 2008 until May 2012, he was also the IMF’s Special Representative to the United Nations and was closely involved in interagency collaboration in the areas of social protection, the green economy, and fiscal space for social policy.