Siddharth Chatterjee

I am the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Kenya since 26 August 2016 where I coordinate the work of 21 United Nations agencies. Before moving to this new role I was UNFPA's (United Nations Population Fund) Representative to Kenya since April 10, 2014. My team and I are assisting efforts to reduce the unacceptably high maternal deaths. We have put the spotlight on the well being and protection of the adolescent girl. Efforts are on to help end child marriage, Female Genital Mutilation, gender based violence & ensure their human rights to achieve their full human potential. Prior to joining UNFPA I was the Chief Diplomat and Head of Strategic Partnerships and Resource Mobilization at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), since June 2011. Most of my career has been spent serving in countries affected by conflicts and natural disasters. I have seen firsthand human tragedies and triumphs, from which I have learnt important lessons. Before joining the IFRC, I had served with the United Nations in Peace Keeping, UNICEF and UNOPS since January 1997. I have lived and worked in the US, Denmark, Iraq, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan, Somalia, Kenya, Sudan(Darfur), Indonesia, South Sudan, Bosnia & Herzegovina. In South Sudan, I negotiated the release and demobilized 3551 child soldiers from the Sudan People's Liberation Army. This successful demobilization of child soldiers was attempted during an ongoing conflict in 2001. I have a Masters in Public Policy from the Woodrow Wilson School for Public & International Affairs in Princeton University, USA. Prior to joining the UN in January 1997, I served in the Indian Army in a Special Forces unit. I was decorated for gallantry during active service. I try to keep the spotlight on things that adversely effect humanity through my editorials and opinion pieces. I have written on issues spanning polio eradication, food security, child soldiers, sexual and gender based violence, water and sanitation, public health and human development. My articles have featured in Forbes, Al Jazeera, CNN, Huffington Post, the Guardian, Reuters, the Global Observatory , the Times of India, the Hindu and the First Post. I have been interviewed/mentioned by BBC, Reuters, the Wall Street Journal, Inter Press Service, UNICEF/VOA, NPR, VOA, Global Observatory and UNICEF. I have been a keynote speaker at a TED x event in Spain and Kenya and at the Institute of Cultural Diplomacy. A complete list of my OP/EDs and articles features on his blog. All press, interviews and mentioned can be found here. All TV and video interviews and speeches can be found here. I am husband and a dad, I dote on my son. I also enjoy running half marathons, biking, SCUBA diving, poetry, current affairs and English literature. In the past he was also a keen horseman and a parachutist.

Running, parachuting, biking, SCUBA diving, composing and reading poetry, reading and analyzing current affairs, anthropology and English literature.