Former UNDP administrator William Henry Draper remembered for launching Human Development Report

Sep 11, 2026

A U.N. briefing noted the passing of William Henry Draper, who served as UNDP administrator from 1986 to 1993 and oversaw the launch of the first Human Development Report in 1990, shifting UNDP’s emphasis beyond narrow economic growth.

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At the briefing an agency official said the secretary‑general was saddened to learn of the passing of William Henry Draper, who served as UN Development Programme administrator from 1986 to 1993 and helped expand UNDP’s development work.

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