United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Gwyn Lewis of Ireland as the UN’s resident coordinator in Bangladesh on Monday.
With more than 20 years of experience in international development, peacebuilding, and humanitarian affairs, Gwyn Lewis previously served as director of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Affairs in the West Bank, said a press release.
She also served as the deputy director of programs for UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon.
Gwyn Lewis also managed the Global Clusters Coordination section in the Emergency Division of the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef) in Geneva.
She joined the agency from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), where she focused on humanitarian policy and supporting FAO country offices.
She also served in the office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, where she built partnerships between the UN and non-governmental organizations, and supported the rollout of the humanitarian reform agenda, read the press release.
Lewis also worked for both the office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the UN Mission in Kosovo, and various non-governmental organizations in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Albania.
She holds a master’s degree in international relations and European studies from the University of Kent in the US.
Lewis also has a bachelor’s degree in economics from San Francisco State University. She is fluent in English and French.
