Director, UN Millennium Campaign

Salil Shetty joined the United Nations in October 2003 as Director of the Millennium Campaign after two decades as a recognized civil society leader. In the last four years, Mr.Shetty has played a pivotal role in building up the global advocacy campaign for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in over 50 countries. This powerful anti-poverty campaign is a unique global partnership of the UN with social movements, faith groups, NGOs, local authorities, Parliamentarians and the media, calling for greater accountability from Governments in the fight against hunger, disease and illiteracy.

Prior to joining the U.N., Mr. Shetty was the Chief Executive of ActionAid – a leading international development NGO; here he worked initially in field programmes in South Asia and Sub Saharan Africa and latterly in the fundraising and advocacy programmes in Europe and U.S.A.

Mr. Shetty serves on the Boards of The Overseas Development Institute, London, and the Agence France-Presse Foundation, Paris and is a Member of the Advisory Council of the American India Foundation, New York. He is also a member of the Strategic Planning Group for Amnesty International.

An Indian National, Mr.Shetty earned a distinction in a Masters of Science in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics and has a Masters in Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.