Elia Yi Armstrong retired from the UN after 25 years of service. Her last role was as Director of the UN Ethics Office from 2015 to 2023, an office she also had the privilege of helping to set up in 2006. She also served as the first Director of the UNDP Ethics Office from 2008 to 2012.
In addition to her work in the ethics function, Elia worked in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. Her work there included civil service reform, public service ethics and anti-corruption, citizen engagement and internet governance, among other governance and public administration issues.
Elia continues to pursue her interest in ethics, governance, development and multilateralism, including writing about and contributing to reviews of UN-related ethics policies and internal oversight functions. She started her career in social services and development NGOs before joining the Canadian public service in 1993, where she served briefly at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office of Canada. She was also seconded briefly to the OECD in the Public Management Service (now Directorate for Public Governance).
