Yanchun Zhang

Yanchun Zhang is an accomplished economist with extensive experience in international development and policy-making. As Chief Statistician at UNDP since September 2020, Yanchun Zhang leads the design and production of UNDP's flagship human development indices. Prior to this role, Yanchun Zhang served at UNCTAD from January 2014 to August 2020, initially as Chief of the Commodities Branch and later as Chief of the Commodity Policy Implementation and Outreach Section, focusing on research and policy assistance for commodity-dependent developing countries. Yanchun Zhang's earlier experience at UNDP from January 2007 to January 2014 included the role of Policy Specialist, concentrating on international macroeconomics, climate change, economic vulnerabilities, and social protection. Yanchun Zhang holds a PhD and an MA in Economics, both from the University of Virginia.