Haoliang Xu is the Acting Managing Director of UNCDF. He is also serving as UNDP’s Acting Administrator as of 17 June 2025. Mr. Xu was appointed UN Under-Secretary-General and UNDP Associate Administrator by the United Nations Secretary-General in June 2023.

He previously served as UN Assistant Secretary-General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support and was UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific from September 2013 to July 2019.

Prior to this, he served as Deputy Regional Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States in New York (2010-2013); UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Kazakhstan (2007-2010); Country Director in Pakistan (2005-2007); Deputy Resident Representative for Programme, Pakistan (2004-2005); Country Manager and Senior Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Timor-Leste (2002-2004); Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Iran (2000-2002); Programme Manager, Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, New York (1997-1999); Programme Officer/Junior Professional Officer, UNDP Kazakhstan (1995-1997).

Before joining the UN, Mr. Xu was a computer-aided design engineer with Louis Berger International Inc. in New Jersey, USA, and an assistant lecturer at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.

Mr. Xu, a Chinese national, holds a Bachelors in Engineering from Tongji University (China), and a Masters’ of Science in Management from the Stevens Institute of Technology (USA). He also holds a Masters’ of International Affairs in Economic Development and Policy Analysis from Columbia University (USA).