Natalia Kanem is a medical doctor who currently serves as the Executive Director of

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. In this capacity, she is among the highest-ranking women at the United Nations and the first Latin American to head UNFPA.

Early life and education

Kanem attended

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, where she graduated magna cum laude with bachelor's degrees in history and science. She became involved in issues relating to women's rights as a Harvard undergraduate when she attended the first UN World Conference on Women in 1975. She went on to earn a medical degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in New York, and a Master in Public Health with specializations in

Epidemiology Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evide ...

and Preventative Medicine from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattl ...

, Seattle.

Career

Early career

Kanem started her career in academia at the

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

and Columbia University schools of medicine and public health. She was Senior Associate at the Lloyd Best Institute of the West Indies in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

from 2012 to 2013. From 2005 to 2011, she was the founding president of ELMA Philanthropies, a private institution focusing primarily on children and youth in Africa.

Ford Foundation

Kanem worked as a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

officer from 1992 to 2005, where she pioneered work in women's

reproductive health Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is a field of research, healthcare, and social activism that explores the health of an individual's reproductive system and sexual wellbeing during all stages of their life. The term can also be further de ...

and sexuality, in particular through her position as the foundation's representative for

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...

. She then served as Deputy Vice-President for the Ford Foundation' s worldwide peace and social justice programmes in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, South America, and North America.

United Nations Population Fund

Before becoming UNFPA Executive Director, Kanem served as the agency's representative in Tanzania from 2014 to 2016. She then went on to become Deputy Executive Director in charge of Programmes at UNFPA Headquarters, in New York from 2014 to 2016. On 3 October 2017, Kanem was appointed as Executive Director of UNFPA by United Nations Secretary-General

Antonio Guterres Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ma ...

. Under her leadership, UNFPA has focused on achieving three results: zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning, and zero gender-based violence and harmful practices.

Other activities

Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) (, ONUSIDA) is the main advocate for accelerated, comprehensive and coordinated global action on the HIV/ AIDS pandemic. The mission of UNAIDS is to lead, strengthen and support an ...

(UNAIDS), Ex-Officio Member of the Committee of Cosponsoring Organizations (since 2017) *

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health Established in 2005, The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being, with 1,250 partner organizations working together through 1 ...

(PMNCH), Member of the Board * United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC), Member of the Board of Governors * Dag Hammarskjöld Fund for Journalists, Member of the Honorary Advisory Council * Family Planning 2020 (FP2020), Co-Chair of the Reference Group (alongside Christopher Elias, since 2017) *

TrustAfrica TrustAfrica, originally called the "Special Initiative for Africa", is an independent foundation that works to secure the conditions for democracy and equitable development throughout the continent. Led by Africans, it convenes dialogues, catalyzes ...

, former Member of the BoardFormer members of the Board

. * Member, Inter-American Dialogue

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kanem, Natalia Living people Harvard University alumni University of Washington School of Public Health alumni Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons alumni Year of birth missing (living people) United Nations Population Fund Johns Hopkins University faculty Members of the Inter-American Dialogue