Natalia Kanem is a medical doctor who currently serves as the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.[1] In this capacity, she is among the highest-ranking women at the United Nations and the first Latin American to head UNFPA.[2]
Natalia Kanem | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 5th Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund | |
| Assumed office 3 October 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Babatunde Osotimehin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 8, 1954 |
| Nationality | Panamanian |
| Alma mater | Harvard University Columbia University University of Washington |
Early life and education
editKanem attended Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor of arts degree in history and science. She became involved in issues relating to women's rights as a Harvard undergraduate when she attended the first UN World Conference on Women in 1975.[3] She went on to earn a medical degree from Columbia University in New York, and a Master in Public Health with specializations in Epidemiology and Preventative Medicine from the University of Washington, Seattle.[4]
Career
editEarly career
editKanem started her career in academia at the Johns Hopkins University and Columbia University Schools of Medicine and public health. She was a Senior Associate at the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago from 2012 to 2013.[5] From 2005 to 2011, she was the founding president of ELMA Philanthropies, a private institution focusing primarily on children and youth in Africa.[6]
Ford Foundation
editKanem worked as a Ford Foundation officer from 1992 to 2005, where she pioneered work in women's reproductive health and sexuality, in particular through her position as the foundation's representative for West Africa.[7] She then served as Deputy Vice-President for the Ford Foundation's worldwide peace and social justice programmes in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, and North America.[8]
United Nations Population Fund
editBefore becoming UNFPA Executive Director, Kanem served as the agency's representative in Tanzania from 2014 to 2016. She then went on to become Deputy Executive Director in charge of programmes at UNFPA Headquarters in New York.[9] On 3 October 2017, Kanem was appointed as Executive Director of UNFPA by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.[10] Under her leadership, UNFPA has focused on achieving three results: zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices.[11]
Other activities
edit- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), Ex-Officio Member of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (since 2017)[12]
- Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), Member of the Board[13]
- United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), Member of the Board of Governors[14]
- Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists, Member of the Honorary Advisory Council[15]
- Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), Co-Chair of the Reference Group (alongside Christopher Elias, since 2017)[16]
- TrustAfrica, a former Member of the Board[17]
- Member, Inter-American Dialogue
References
edit- ^ "Dr. Natalia Kanem".
- ^ Gladstone, Rick (15 December 2017). "Natalia Kanem profile". The New York Times.
- ^ Zarocostas, John (2018). "Natalia Kanem: lifelong advocate for women's health and rights". The Lancet. 391 (10116): 115. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33323-8. ISSN 0140-6736. PMID 29353611. S2CID 4487373.
- ^ Kanem, Natalia (2018). "biography" (PDF). UNFPA.
- ^ "Lloyd Best Institute".
- ^ "Kanem profile".
- ^ Zarocostas, John (13 January 2018). "Kanem profile". The Lancet. 391 (10116): 115. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(17)33323-8. PMID 29353611. S2CID 4487373.
- ^ "Ms. Natalia Kanem of Panama – Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)". United Nations. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
- ^ "Kanem profile" (PDF).
- ^ "Kanem appointed".
- ^ "Transformative results".
- ^ Leadership Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
- ^ Board Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH).
- ^ Board of Governors United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC).
- ^ Honorary Advisory Council Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists.
- ^ FP2020 Reference Group Archived 15 October 2018 at the Wayback Machine Family Planning 2020 (FP2020).
- ^ Former members of the Board TrustAfrica.