Thomas Gass, currently Ambassador of Switzerland and Head of Mission in Hanoi, Viet Nam, was today appointed as the new Chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the leading international forum for bilateral providers of development aid.
Mr Gass will take up his new position in early 2027. He takes over from Carsten Staur, a Danish national who has served as Chair of the DAC since March 2023.
“Thomas Gass brings to the DAC an extensive background in bilateral development co-operation, multilateral governance, and field operations,” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said. “At a time of growing pressure on the development co-operation system, his strong experience will help the Committee forge new partnerships, advance effective solutions, and strengthen international co-operation in support of sustainable development.”
Mr Gass previously served as Assistant Director-General and Head of the South Cooperation Department of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (2018-2022), prior to which he was Switzerland’s Ambassador and Head of Mission in Kathmandu, Nepal (2009-2013).
His career has included other major leadership roles in international development and multilateral co-operation, including as Co-Chair of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (2019-2022), Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs in the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2013-2017), and Head of the Economic and Development Section at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations in New York (2004-2009), where he represented Switzerland in ECOSOC and on the executive boards of major UN funds and programmes.
Mr Gass holds a PhD in Natural Sciences and a Master of Science in Agricultural Engineering, both from ETH-Zurich, in Switzerland.
The DAC is a forum for its 34 members and Associates to agree on international principles, rules and standards for development co-operation. The DAC also publishes regular data and analysis on Official Development Assistance (ODA) flows and monitors how members deliver on their commitments via Peer Reviews. The OECD’s Development Co-operation Directorate serves as Secretariat to the DAC. (See more at the DAC website.)
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