UNITED
NATIONS DEPUTY HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
FLAVIA PANSIERI
Flavia Pansieri was appointed United Nations Deputy High
Commissioner for Human Rights on 15 March 2013.
In the past 30 years she has held a number of increasingly
responsible positions in a number of UN system agencies and in various
countries and headquarters locations. Most recently, Ms. Pansieri served as the
Executive Coordinator of the UN Volunteers (UNV) Programme, from February 2008
to December 2012. Prior to joining UNV, she served as the United Nations
Resident Coordinator and Resident Representative of the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP) in Yemen (September 2004 – January 2008).
Ms. Pansieri started her UN career in 1983 with UNDP in China, where she was responsible for the UNV and TOKTEN
(Transfer of Knowledge Through Expatriate Nationals) programmes, as well as for
projects in the energy sector. She continued with UNDP in Bangladesh (1987 –
1990) and Myanmar (1990 – 1993), followed by a posting to Laos as Director of
the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and thereafter from 1995
to 1998 at UNODC Headquarters in Vienna directing, planning and evaluating
activities.
As the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Fund
for Women (UNIFEM) in New
York (1998 – 2001),
she engaged in promoting women’s economic, social and political participation
and in raising awareness about gender equality issues. Before taking up the
Resident Coordinator / Resident Representative position in Yemen, she was in charge of the Country Division of the Regional
Bureau for Arab States at UNDP, providing guidance and support to programme
activities in the various countries of the Arab region.
Ms. Pansieri is an Italian national with a doctoral degree
in Philosophy from Milan University, and one in Chinese Language and Literature from Venice University. She is a fluent speaker of English, German, French,
Spanish, Chinese and Italian.