Olufunmilayo Abosede Balogun-Alexander, a Nigerian, has been named the UN‘s Resident Coordinator in Timor-Leste by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Balogun-Alexander assumed her position on December 1 after having her nomination authorised by the government of Timor-Leste, a country in Southeast Asia.
Her appointment was made public on the UN Sustainable Development Group’s official website (UNSDG).
At a top level within the United Nations and international NGOs, Balogun-Alexander has more than 30 years of experience working on and managing humanitarian, peace, and development programs.
In her role leading UN Women’s global response to humanitarian crises and assisting UN Women Country Offices to strengthen gender mainstreaming in UN-led Humanitarian Coordinated response in crisis-affected countries, Balogun-Alexander held the position of Head of Humanitarian Normative and Coordination Action prior to her appointment as the UN Resident Coordinator.
In the interim, Balogun-Alexander served as the UN Women Country Representative for Nigeria, the UN Women Deputy Representative for Ethiopia, the International Planned Parenthood Federation’s Director of External Relations and Advocacy, and the UN Development Fund for Women’s Africa Region and Kenya Programme Manager.
Balogun-Alexander led and assisted multi-functional teams at the national level to be effective, have an impact, and produce results, notably in the area of the nexus between peace, development, and humanitarian aid.
She oversaw the UN’s inter-agency cooperation for the development and execution of collaborative programs, including those on gender-based violence, governance, and protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
In order to ensure that no one is left behind in the achievement of the SDGs, she has coordinated national support and government priorities for development and social policy funding, including co-creating and driving solutions on contentious issues like gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and minority groups, among others.
For creative funding and programs, Balogun-Alexander has created and maintained strategic collaborations with governments, intergovernmental commissions, bilateral donors, media, and the commercial sector.
Her bachelor of arts in English is from the University of Lagos in Nigeria, and she holds a master’s degree in gender and development from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.