20 September 2012: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Homi Kharas as Lead Author and Executive Secretary of the High-level Panel (HLP) of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda. In this capacity, Kharas is tasked with submission of the HLP’s report to the Secretary-General by 31 May 2013. It was also announced that the Panel will hold its first meeting on 25 September, on the margins of the 67th UN General Assembly’s (UNGA 67) high-level debate.

The HLP is responsible for evaluating the results and achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), reflecting on new development challenges, and providing recommendations on a global post-2015 agenda “with shared responsibilities for all countries and with the fight against poverty and sustainable development at its core.” It also is mandated to coordinate with the intergovernmental open working group (OWG) on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In his role as Senior Fellow and the Deputy Director in the Global Economy and Development Programme at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, US, Kharas studies policies and trends influencing developing countries, including topics such as aid, the food crisis, global governance, the Group of 20 (G20), and the emerging middle class, according to the UN Biographical Note. He worked at the World Bank for 26 years including as Director for Poverty Reduction and Economic Management in the Finance and Private Sector Development, and as Chief Economist for the East Asia and Pacific region. Kharas is a national of Pakistan. [UN Press Release] [Biographical Note] [IISD RS Story on Appointment of High-level Panel]