Gwyn Lewis appointed UN Resident Coordinator of Bangladesh

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Gwyn Lewis of Ireland as the new UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, with the host government's approval.

With more than 20 years of experience in international development, peacebuilding, and humanitarian affairs, Lewis previously served as director of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) affairs in the West Bank, and Deputy Director of Programmes for UNRWA affairs in Lebanon, according to a UN statement.

Gwyn Lewis also managed the Global Clusters Coordination section in the Emergency Division of Unicef in Geneva and worked for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

She also served in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, building partnerships between the UN and non-governmental organisations, and supporting the rollout of the humanitarian reform agenda.

Lewis has 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 organisations in Tajikistan, Afghanistan, and Albania.

With a master's degree in International Relations and European Studies from the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, Lewis also has a bachelor's degree in economics from San Francisco State University in the United States. She is fluent in English and French.