Mr. Pio Smith, a national of Ireland, was appointed in March 2018 as the Chief of Staff at UNFPA (the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency).
Pio has worked at the UN for over 13 years, including seven years in the Executive Office of the Secretary–General, where his most recent role was as Chief of Staff to the Special Adviser on Post–2015 Development Planning for the three years leading up to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to that role, Pio was Special Assistant to two Deputy Secretary–Generals, also serving as adviser on gender, ethics, and UN reform. He worked on initiatives including the establishment of UN Women and the enhancement of the UN Financial Disclosure Programme.
Prior to assuming his current role at UNFPA, Pio was based in Bhutan for 3 years where he published work on the SDGs and freelanced as an international consultant on sustainable development, notably with UNDP in Papua New Guinea. Before joining the UN, Pio worked for the UK Government, responsible for overseeing regulatory impact assessments and national consultations on policy and legislation, as well as for a UK Regional Assembly, advising on European policy and social funding grants. Pio has also worked as a consultant in the private sector for finance and education companies in Ireland and Australia.
Pio received his undergraduate degree from Queen’s University of Belfast and his Master’s from Dublin City University. He is married, with four children. In 1998, he was recognized by the ‘Young European of the Year’ programme for his leadership in the European Youth Parliament.
