Dr. Chaudhry’s career has evolved from a Water Resources Economist to a recognized leader in sustainable development and institutional transformation. He has led initiatives that have reshaped governance systems and driven lasting change at both global and national levels. Over the course of nearly 25 years with the United Nations, Dr. Chaudhry held a range of technical and leadership roles, contributing to operational, normative, and analytical functions within the organization.

During his tenure with the UN, he played a pivotal role in developing Yemen’s National Water Master Plan and in establishing the National Water Resources Authority, laying the foundation for sustainable water management in the country. His extensive work across developing countries—including Pakistan, Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria, and Gambia—helped these countries build critical institutional capacities to address urgent water and environmental challenges. Dr. Chaudhry was instrumental in the establishment of UN-Water, a vital platform for coordinating freshwater and sanitation efforts across its several agencies and int’l stakeholders. His leadership also played a key role in creating and operationalizing the UN Office for Sustainable Development in South Korea, where he led regional and global capacity-building initiatives aimed at advancing the sustainable development agenda.

At the University of Utah, Dr. Chaudhry played a central role in founding the US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water (CAS-W) in Pakistan, which has become a leading institution for higher education and research in water sustainability. His expertise in institutional development has also been pivotal in higher education reform in Pakistan. Through initiatives like USPCAS-W and HESSA, he has worked to strengthen the institutional capacities of public-sector universities, ensuring they meet the demands of a modern, market-driven education system. His unique ability to build, operationalize, and sustain institutions has been instrumental in advancing sustainable development goals in both the water sector and the broader educational and governance systems.

I led and coordinated several processes leading to the creation and operationalization of several institutions, mechanisms, and processes at country and global levels. In many cases, this also included development and implementation of their governance and capacity building programs. These for example included:

• National Water Resources Authority in Yemen
• Strategic Planning Unit in the Syrian Ministry of Irrigation
• UN-Water (coordination mechanism of 30+ UN agencies); served its Secretary from 2007-2009
• UN Secretary General Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation
• Water Operators Partnership currently housed in UNHABITAT, Nairobi
• The UN Commision on Sustainable Development--its programming and organization (2007-2011)
• UN Office for Sustainable Development in Incheon, Republic of Korea (Founding Director)
• US-Pakistan Center for Advanced Studies in Water in Pakistan