United Nations: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday appointed two new assistant secretary-generals to serve as deputy executive directors for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
According to a press note from the UN chief’s office, both will be succeeding the current deputy executive directors, to whom the secretary-general and UNICEF are grateful for their dedicated service.
Kitty van der Heijden of the Netherlands has been appointed as the deputy executive director for partnerships. She has been serving as the director-general for international cooperation in her country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2019.
She brings to the role a wealth of experience, having previously served as Vice President and Director for Africa and Europe at the World Resources Institute, as well as the Ambassador for Sustainable Development and Director for Climate, Energy, Environment and Water in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Van der Heijden holds a master’s degree in economics from Erasmus University in the Netherlands and is fluent in Dutch and English, with knowledge of French.
Edward Chaiban of Lebanon has been appointed as the deputy executive director for humanitarian action and supply operations. He was recently serving as UNICEF’s Global Lead Coordinator for COVID-19 Vaccine Country-Readiness and Delivery.
Chaiban has held various leadership positions in UNICEF, including regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, director of programs, director of emergency programs, and representative in Ethiopia, Sudan, and Sri Lanka.
Before joining UNICEF in 1997, he worked as a country representative for Catholic Relief Services in Haiti, Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan, and also as a program manager focusing on food security and child survival.
Chaiban holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and political science from Tufts University and a master’s degree in development and Arab studies from Georgetown University, both in the United States. He is fluent in English, French, and Arabic.
