Helen Clark is a former Prime Minister of New Zealand and former Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with a distinguished career in public service and international leadership spanning more than four decades.

Helen served as Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008, becoming the first woman elected to the office. During her 27 years as a Member of Parliament, she held a number of senior ministerial portfolios and was closely engaged in economic, social, environmental and foreign policy.

From 2009 to 2017, Helen served as Administrator of UNDP, becoming the first woman to lead the organization. She also chaired the United Nations Development Group, coordinating the work of UN agencies on international development. During her tenure, she championed sustainable development, effective governance and greater transparency in global development.

Helen has continued to advocate internationally for integrity, accountable governance, sustainable development, gender equality, climate action, peace and justice. Since 2019, she has served as Chair of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which promotes transparency and accountability in the governance of natural resources. She joined The Elders, the independent group of global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, in 2023.

She has also served as Co-Chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response and remains an influential advocate for multilateral cooperation and principled global leadership.