The new Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (DSRSG) in Guinea-Bissau, Mr. David McLachlan-Karr, took office on 18 July 2017.
DSRSG McLachlan-Karr is responsible for the Rule of Law and Security Institutions portfolio in UNIOGBIS. He is also the United Nations Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Guinea-Bissau.

Mr.McLachlan-Karr was appointed by the UN Secretary-General on 23 May 2017 to replace Maria do Valle Ribeiro of Ireland, who completed her assignment in Guinea-Bissau in January. 

Mr. McLachlan-Karr possesses 21 years of experience working with the United Nations, including in various assignments for UNDP and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Africa, Asia and Latin America. 

From November 2016 until his appointment in Guinea-Bissau, he has served as United Nations Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative ad interim in Jordan. Previously, Mr. McLachlan-Karr was on secondment from the United Nations to the World Economic Forum in Geneva, where he held the position of Senior Adviser on Public-Private Partnerships (2015-2016).Prior to that, he served as Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Sierra Leone, the Maldives, Papua New Guinea and Venezuela. Before joining the United Nations, Mr. McLachlan-Karr held various positions in the Australian Foreign Service for eight years. 

David McLachlan-Karr hails from Australia. Born in 1961, he holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations and International Law from the University of Queensland, Australia.