UN Appoints Nigerian Balogun-Alexander Resident Coordinator In Timor-Leste

By Ed Malik, A | December 2, 2022
ed@ddnewsonline.com

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, has appointed Nigerian Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste, a South-east Asian nation occupying half the island of Timor.
Her appointment was announced on the official website of the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UNSDG).

Balogun-Alexander whose appointment was approved by the Timor-Leste government, took up her post on Thursday, December 1.
She has over 30 years’ experience of working on causes related to humanitarian, peace and development projects with leading international NGOs and the Sustainable Development Group departments of the United Nations and international NGOs.
Before her appointment to the South-Asian nation of Timor, Balogun-Alexander served as Head of Humanitarian Normative and Coordination Action, UN Women, where she led UN Women’s global response to humanitarian crises and supported UN Women Country Offices to strengthen gender mainstreaming in UN-led Humanitarian Coordinated response in crisis-affected countries.
Meanwhile, Balogun-Alexander had worked as UN Women Country Representative to UN Women, Deputy Representative, UN Women Ethiopia, Director, External Relations and Advocacy, International Planned Parenthood Federation, Africa Region and Kenya Program Manager for the UN Development Fund for Women.
Balogun-Alexander led and supported multi-functional teams at the country level which were instrumental to achieving the impact and results that improved her suitability for the current tour of duty in the nation of Timor-Leste.
She led UN inter-agency coordination to coordinate joint assessments, develop and implement joint UN programs, including on gender-based violence, governance and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
According to UNSDG, she has coordinated national support and government priorities for development and social policy funding, including co-creating and driving solutions on contentious issues of gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and minority groups, among others to ensure that no one is left behind in achieving the SDGs.
Balogun-Alexander has established and improved strategic partnerships with governments, intergovernmental commissions, bilateral donors, media and the private sector for innovative funding and programs.
She has a master’s degree in Gender and Development from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK and a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Lagos, Nigeria.