Our Team in Lebanon

Jean-Christophe Carret is the World Bank Country Director for the Middle East Department (Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria). Before his appointment, Mr. Carret was Country Director for the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Burundi and Sao Tome & Principe, and before that the Country Manager for Laos. Before joining the World Bank Group in 2005, Mr. Carret worked at the Center for Industrial Economics at MINES ParisTech (formerly known as École des Mines) as a research economist specialized in environmental economics. Mr. Carret is a French national, and holds a PhD in economics from MINES ParisTech.

Ms. Anandita Philipose is the new Representative of UNFPA in Lebanon (since January 2025). She brings over 18 years of international experience and expertise with the UN in the areas of protection, health, youth engagement, gender equality, and women’s empowerment. Prior to joining the UNFPA Lebanon country office, Anandita was the Deputy Representative of the UNFPA Mali country office where she led a large program in a complex humanitarian and socio-political context. Over the past 18 years, Anandita has worked in development and humanitarian settings at country, regional, and Headquarters levels with UNFPA in West Africa, Southern and East Africa, and Asia-Pacific and other UN agencies such as WFP Headquarters, UN Women in Indonesia and UNESCO headquarters. Ms. Philipose holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Cornell University in New York.

Blerta Aliko is the UNDP Resident Representative in Lebanon. For over 25 years, Blerta has worked on development and humanitarian issues including gender equality and women’s empowerment. Prior to her appointment in Lebanon in 2024, Aliko served as UNDP Resident Representative in Algeria (2019-2024). She started her UN career in 1996 in UNDP Albania and later joined UNICEF and subsequently UN Women working on child and women’s rights agenda. During the years, Blerta has been supporting humanitarian programming and post crisis recovery planning and coordination in Liberia, Kenya, Chad, Myanmar, Haiti, Yemen. In April 2016 she was posted in Egypt in the capacity of UN Women Deputy Regional Director for Arab States and UN Women Representative for Egypt. Blerta holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from the IFM University of Geneva, Switzerland and graduated from the Faculty of Economy, University of Tirana in Albania. Blerta is a dual national of Albania and France.

Cynthia Darrous Khoury, a Lebanese national, is currently UNIC Beirut’s Officer-in-Charge. She has 20 years of experience in public information and communications, 16 of which with the UN Information Centre in Beirut, where she has led multiple campaigns while also developing and implementing strategies for communicating key UN messages in Lebanon and the region. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communications from the Lebanese University.

Dorothée Klaus is the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon since February 2023. She first joined UNRWA in 2014 as Deputy Director (Programmes) for the Jordan Field and acted as Director of the Relief and Social Services Programme from 2017 till 2022. Dorothée is a German national and holds a M.A. in ethnology and philosophy, a master’s degree in humanitarian assistance and obtained a PhD in geography. Her doctoral thesis has been published in 2003 (Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon – where to belong?). From 1996-1999 she has carried out anthropological studies among the Palestine refugee community in Lebanon as associate researcher with the German Orient Institute in Beirut and the Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches en Moyen-Orient.

Dr. Abdinasir Abubakar is the WHO Representative in Lebanon. Before his tenure in Lebanon, Dr. Abubakar held the position of Programme Area Manager for the Infectious Hazard Prevention and Preparedness unit at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Cairo, Egypt, for five years.

Dr. Abubakar has more than 25 years of experience in public health leadership, and epidemiological research, working with national and international institutions, and providing technical support to Member States and partners on improving the national emergency and public health security capacities. Dr. Abubakar has a degree in Medicine from the Faculty of Medicine of the Somali National University in Mogadishu and a Master’s Degree in Public Health in Epidemiology and International Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, United States of America.

Frederico Lima is the IMF Resident Representative for Lebanon. Prior to his appointment, he held positions in the African and Fiscal Affairs Departments of the IMF, working on a range of policy issues in emerging markets and developing economies. A national of Portugal, Mr. Lima holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and a B.A. in Law from the University of Coimbra.

Gielan Elmessiri was appointed as Representative a.i. for UN Women Lebanon in April 2023, joining the Country Team from UN Women’s Egypt country office where she served as Deputy Country Representative and Country Representative ai since 2014. Elmessiri has over 25 years of professional experience in gender equality, women’s empowerment, and sustainable development with a focus on advocacy and partnerships, policy analysis and coordination, programme design, and implementation. She has managed various UN Women flagship programmes, including in the areas of women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment, eliminating violence against women, and access to justice.

As of 1 January 2025, Mr. Takabayashi has been assigned as the Officer in Charge for the UN-Habitat Country Programme in Lebanon, in parallel to his current duties as Head of UN-Habitat Syria Country Programme, a position which he has held since 2022. Prior to assuming this role, from 2021-2022, Mr. Takabayashi served as a Programme Management Officer, Human Settlements in UN-Habitat Syria. Before joining UN-Habitat Syria, Mr. Takabayashi held the position of Programme Management Officer, Human Settlements in UN-Habitat Myanmar (2019-2021) and UN-Habitat Afghanistan (2015-2019) working on urban development and resilience programmes with focus on sustainable urban development, community driven development, climate change and disaster risk management. Before joining UN-Habitat, he worked at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) from 2001 to 2015, holding roles such as Advisor for Capital Market and Deputy Director for Asia-Pacific operations. Mr. Takabayashi holds a Master’s Degree in Environment, Development, and Policy from the University of Sussex, UK, and another Master’s Degree in International Development Study from the National Graduate Policy Institute, Japan.

Ivo Freijsen is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Lebanon. He previously served as the UNHCR Representative in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ivo brings with him over 30 years of experience in the humanitarian field at the country, regional and HQ levels, including with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), CARE International, the Directorate-General for the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), working across a wide range of situations, including Rwanda, Sudan, Eritrea, Iraq, Egypt and Syria. Ivo Freijsen holds a Master’s degree in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, and a graduate diploma in International Relations. He speaks Dutch, Arabic, English and French.

Ms. Kristen Knutson is the Head of Office for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Beirut, Lebanon since January 2024. Kristen has more than 20 years of experience with the United Nations in the fields of humanitarian affairs and communications and has supported humanitarian response in disasters and complex emergencies around the globe. Kristen holds a master’s degree in political science from the University of Geneva and is a national of the United States of America.

Lieutenant Colonel Dieter Bachmann, Chief Liaison Office Beirut, UNTSO ILMAC-LOB, represents the UNTSO Head of Mission in Beirut, Lebanon. He has over three decades of experience in the Austrian Defense Forces as an Infantry Officer, but also as Political Advisor in the European Forces in Bosnia and Hercegovina. In addition to his military experience and qualifications, he has a Masters in International Relations and a Masters in Information Security.

Major General Diodato Abagnara of Italy was appointed Head of Mission and Force Commander of UNIFIL on 24 June 2025. He brings over 30 years of military leadership, including key roles with UNIFIL, NATO, and the Italian Army. He previously served as Commander of UNIFIL Sector West and led multinational coordination for Lebanon. Domestically, he held senior posts including Personnel Division Chief and Adviser to the Chief of Defence Staff. He has championed inclusive leadership and chaired Italy’s Joint Gender Perspective Council. He holds advanced degrees in Political Science, Law, and Strategic Studies, and speaks Italian and English fluently.

Marcoluigi Corsi is UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Corsi served as UNICEF Representative in Myanmar from May 2022, and was also appointed as the UN Resident Coordinator/Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim in Myanmar since December 2023. From February 2020, he served as Deputy Regional Director for UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Region. He was previously UNICEF Representative in Mozambique (2025-2020) and in Bolivia (2011-2015). Earlier in his career, Mr. Corsi held the position of UNICEF’s Deputy Representative in Indonesia (2005-2011) and in Eritrea (2002-2005). He also served as Chief of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation of UNICEF programmes in Somalia and was responsible for programme monitoring and evaluation at a community-based planning and coordination unit in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. An Italian national, he holds a master’s in international political sciences from La Sapienza University.

Mathieu Luciano is IOM’s Head of Office in Lebanon since March 2021. He was previously in charge of IOM's global migrant protection policy and programming based in Geneva, with a focus on vulnerable migrants. Mathieu has held other policy and programme positions for IOM in the Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa based in Egypt, as well as Indonesia and Belgium. He holds a Master's degree in Corporate Social Development and Employment Policies from Sciences Po Paris.

Matthew Hollingworth is the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Representative and Country Director in Lebanon. With over 20 years of experience in logistics, emergency response, and country office management, he has held leadership roles in humanitarian operations across in Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Pakistan, and served as WFP Representative and Country Director since 2013 in Syria, Sudan, South Sudan and Ukraine.
Matthew holds a Master’s in Supply Chain Management, a Bachelor’s in Philosophy and Politics, and an International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance. He is a joint British and Irish national .

Mr. Mazen Shaqoura is currently the Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. He has over 25 years of experience with the United Nations in human rights, rule of law, democratic development, good governance and program management.
In his previous incarnations, Mr. Shaqoura was deployed in Tunis, Bahrain, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Sudan.
Mr. Shaqoura is fluent in Arabic, English and French and holds a Master of Arts in Diplomacy.

Mr. Mohamed Khafagi worked in different capacities during his former job with the Government of Egypt in the area of national and state security for more than 20 years. He has a vast experience in crisis management and particularly in the area of hostage negotiation that helped him in few critical cases in the UN, of which resulted in the safe release of the UN staff members in a very complex hostage-taken incidents. He has graduated for the Egyptian Police Academy in 1988 with bachelor’s in law, and has a Master’s degree in crisis management.

Mr. Muhammad Usman Akram holds a Master degree in Economics and has over 20 years of experience in the UN system and non-governmental organizations in the humanitarian and development sector. Prior to joining UNOPS, Mr. Akram fulfilled different positions, acting Head of the RCO for Iraq and Regional Monitoring and Evaluation Advisor for UNDP, serving the Arab States Region and the Europe. Mr. Akram has been the Head of Programme at UNOPS and since January 2019, he has been the Director for the Operational Hub in Amman.

Natalie joined the Resident Coordinator’s Office as the Team Leader in March 2020. Prior to that, Natalie worked with IMMAP on supporting the provision of information management services to humanitarian and development organizations. She has also worked with the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator’s Office for Lebanon (UNSCOL). Natalie’s other relevant experience includes working in UN Headquarters on policy matters related to the Protection of Civilians; in Peacekeeping Operations in the Central African Republic and Côte d’Ivoire; as well as with UNICEF. She also worked in communications with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Canada. Natalie holds an MSc in Global Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nora is currently the Representative of FAO in Lebanon. She joined FAO in June 2022 and has several years of experience in the areas of food, agriculture and rural development. She joined FAO as Rural Institutions Officer and soon became Team leader of rural institutions and people’s empowerment at HQ - Rome. Prior to her current position, she was appointed as FAO Representative to the Sultanate of Oman. Previously, she worked with the International Federation of Agricultural Producers and the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policies (NCFAP). Nora has a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the High Business School of Grenoble in France and an MBA in International Management from Laval University in Canada.

Paolo Fontani is the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut and Representative to Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. From March 2019 to May 2025, Mr. Fontani served as UNESCO Representative to Iraq, where he managed the Organization’s largest country portfolio globally, including the flagship initiative Revive the Spirit of Mosul, dedicated to the reconstruction of cultural heritage destroyed by conflict. He previously served as Director of the UNESCO Office in Afghanistan and as Director of the Liaison Office in Brussels and Representative to the European Union. His professional background also includes leading education programmes in UNESCO Offices in Brazil and the Caribbean, as well as serving at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, where he worked in the promotion of the right to education, including human rights and citizenship education. Mr. Fontani holds a Master’s degree in Education and International Development from University College London, and a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Pisa.

Ruba Jaradat is the ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Arab States. Since she assumed her current post at the ILO in November 2015, the Regional Office has seen over an 8-fold increase in its Development Cooperation portfolio budget, as well as the development and signing-into-force of six Decent Work Country Programmes and the expansion of its policy-related support to constituents across the region. She holds a PhD in Management and International Development from the UK.

Mr. Sami Dimassi joined UNEP Regional Office for West Asia as Director and Regional Representative in 2018. He held several senior positions in the UN System, such as Senior ICT Advisor, Head of the Innovation Branch, Deputy Director of the Science division, Director of Private Sector Engagement, and Acting Director of Corporate Services all within UNEP. A Lebanese-Canadian national, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Ottawa University and a master’s in Management from Waterloo University in Canada.

Shereen Sarah Baz currently serves as the Officer-in-Charge of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Lebanon. With over 13 years of professional experience in the field of criminal justice reform, Shereen has worked in prison systems across Lebanon, Tunisia, and the United Kingdom (UK), holding various roles that span operational, policy, and academic domains. Her expertise includes conducting in-depth research within prison settings, developing comprehensive policies and procedures, and delivering training programs for prison management. Shereen holds a Ph.D. in Criminology from Loughborough University in the UK.

Yeran Kejijian (Lebanon) took up her appointment as the Country Coordinator of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Lebanon in 2017. She has contributed to the gradual expansion of the programme in Lebanon making it one of the largest in the Arab States and the MENA region in terms of number of mobilised UN Volunteers. She holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Edinburgh Business School of Heriot-Watt University, Scotland. She completed her undergraduate degree in Business Administration at Université Saint Joseph (Beirut).